TOPLINE
President Donald Trump criticized Fox News’ coverage of the elections stating that the news channel has “changed a lot in the last four years,” during an Election Day appearance on the network’s morning news show Fox and Friends, adding that he’ll claim an election win if and when there is victory.
KEY FACTS
When asked about Barack Obama’s attacks against him at recent Democratic rallies, Trump said that it was Fox which gave the former President more coverage than anyone else.
Presenter Brian Kilmeade briefly interrupted the President to argue that “unlike other networks” Fox was trying to “show both sides.”
Trump then went on to claim that Fox “has changed a lot in the last four years,” adding: “It’s a much different operation.”
Trump also argued that the network gave more air time to Democrats instead of Republicans.
On being asked about him prematurely declaring victory before all votes are counted, Trump claimed he’ll claim a win, “When there is victory, if there is victory,” adding that he was confident of a win and “there's no reason to play games.”
Trump pointed to the response from “massive crowds” at his events as the reason he believes that he has a strong chance of winning re-election, and claimed the people at these rallies would scream “we love you” at him noted “even Ronald Reagan hadn’t had that happen to him”
CRUCIAL QUOTE
Trump said that when he’s often asked by friends, “Who is the most difficult country to deal with? Is it Russia? Is it China? Is it North Korea?” he would answer “I’d go by far the most difficult country to deal with is the U.S. Not even close.” Claiming that the U.S. has “very very deceptive people and we have some people that are sick some ways,” the President offered house member Adam Schiff (D-Ca.) as an example.
KEY BACKGROUND
Even though the network’s coverage has largely been favorable to him, Donald Trump has taken a few potshots at Fox News in the past few months. When the network’s polls showed that Trump was trailing Biden in June he dismissed them as “phony.” Last month when Fox’s polls showed that Trump was trailing in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin he dismissed them as “FAKE.” Once again last week, he expressed displeasure at the network for giving airtime to Biden. “Fox puts Sleepy Joe (Biden) on all the time,” the President said adding that "this would not have happened with Roger Ailes.” While Trump told Fox News that he will only claim a victory after it happens, the President and his campaign has indicated multiple times that they want the election results to be declared on Tuesday night. On Monday, Trump had said that it was “terrible that we can't know the results of an election the night of the election." His campaign advisor Jason Miller predicted on Sunday the president will be leading on election night before Joe Biden and his campaign will try and “steal it back.” These claims indicate that Trump may launch a legal battle against mail-in ballots not counted on election night, which are expected to be disproportionately Democratic.
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