Donald Trump’s time of favorable coverage on Fox News may be coming to an end as the economy faces another downturn. His inconsistent tariff threats have left businesses in limbo and investors watching their portfolios decline day by day.
Greg Sargent, an analyst from The New Republic, suggests that Fox News hosts are now starting to express concerns about Trump’s handling of the economy. He notes that, this week, a number of prominent Fox hosts openly questioned the direction the country is heading under Trump’s second term.
Sargent explains that Fox News has long been a strong supporter of business interests, but Trump’s unpredictable economic decisions are putting the network’s personalities in an uncomfortable position as the economy weakens.
While many Fox hosts continue to blame the economic struggles on former President Joe Biden, Sargent believes they’re running out of excuses to defend Trump.
“It turns out there are limits. One topic Fox personalities are not quite as willing to run interference for Trump on is the economy. And with signs mounting that Trump’s economy is hitting the skids, they are beginning to sound the alarm,” Sargent wrote. He added that this is a sign that Trump’s political standing is becoming more fragile, and that further dissent is likely to follow.
One example Sargent points to is Maria Bartiromo, a Fox host known for her focus on Wall Street. On Friday, Bartiromo highlighted concerns about the economy, saying, “the jobs picture is weakening!”
Sargent also referenced Charles Payne, another Fox host, who grimly stated, “I think the boom times are over.” This remark, according to Sargent, implicitly acknowledges that the economy was stronger under Trump’s predecessor.
Sargent argues that Fox News, at its core, is aligned with corporate interests, and Trump’s tariff policies are a direct threat to those interests. This creates a challenge for Fox to continue defending Trump’s economic actions. Sargent points out that the Wall Street Journal has been highly critical of Trump’s tariffs, and Bartiromo has been urging Trump to reassure business leaders about them.
In the long run, Sargent warns, this could hurt Trump’s presidency. If people start losing confidence in his economic leadership, the deep cuts to government services could start to look less like efforts to improve efficiency and more like dangerous incompetence.
“Trump’s celebrations of his own impunity won’t come across as the mere rhetorical trash-talking of the strongman who was needed to whip the economy into line. Instead, they’ll sound like what they truly are—the rantings of a genuine wannabe dictator,” Sargent predicts.
