According to Mediate, Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum has stepped forward to defend the recent dinner engagement between Fox executives, including Suzanne Scott, and former President Donald Trump at his exclusive golf club. The occasion, according to MacCallum, is far from unusual or unprecedented within the realm of media and politics.
MacCallum’s remarks came as part of a broader media campaign she and fellow Fox News anchor Bret Baier have embarked upon, aimed at garnering attention for the upcoming debate they are co-moderating. This high-profile event is set to air on Fox and has elicited speculation about the possible participation of the former president.
During an interview with Isabella Simonetti and Joe Flint from The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), MacCallum tackled questions about the aforementioned dinner gathering, which was orchestrated by Fox News President Jay Wallace and CEO Suzanne Scott. The meeting took place at Trump’s golf club located in Bedminster, New Jersey. Its primary objective was to persuade Trump to engage in the forthcoming debate, thus underscoring the significance his presence holds for the network.
Despite the fact that both WSJ and Fox News operate under the Murdoch umbrella, Simonetti and Flint did not shy away from addressing more probing topics, including the Dominion lawsuit and the dinner engagement itself. In response to inquiries about the nature of the meeting, MacCallum defended the interactions between high-ranking media executives and prominent political figures. She emphasized the importance of maintaining open lines of communication and extending a welcoming atmosphere to influential individuals who are being considered for participation on the debate stage.
Throughout the interview, both Baier and MacCallum made evident efforts to advocate for Trump’s involvement in the upcoming debate. They presented the case that his participation would provide an opportunity to directly address those who have recently taken a more confrontational stance against him, such as Mike Pence and Ron DeSantis. MacCallum expressed the belief that the debate platform would grant Trump the chance to share his thoughts and perspectives with the nation.
Baier and MacCallum also employed strategic rhetoric to underscore the potential impact of Trump’s presence, whether on or off the stage. Baier highlighted that Trump would inherently play a significant role in any debate, even if he did not physically appear on stage. Meanwhile, MacCallum invoked the notion of “FOMO” by suggesting that participating candidates would have a unique opportunity to make their mark and generate buzz in the aftermath of the event.
Senior Fox News executives, including CEO Suzanne Scott and network president Jay Wallace, recently went to Trump’s New Jersey golf club for dinner to try to persuade him to attend the debate, affirming the importance of his attendance to the network, people familiar with the meeting said.
“I don’t think there’s anything unusual about executives interacting with top-level candidates,” MacCallum said. “You want to make sure that you have an open line of communication and that everyone feels that they’re welcome and you want them on the stage.”
Some of that persuasion was in evidence elsewhere in the interview, as Baier and MacCallum argued for Trump’s participation.
“You’ve seen in recent days, Mike Pence, Ron DeSantis sort of draw a sharper line against the former president and I think it would give him an opportunity to speak to them in person in front of the country and let them know what he thinks,” MacCallum told the paper.
