In a recent interview with Newsmax following his arrest in Georgia, former President Donald Trump took a dig at News Corp founder Rupert Murdoch. During the interview with Newsmax host Greg Kelly, Trump directed his comments toward his 2024 Republican primary rival, Ron DeSantis, implying that Fox News had abandoned DeSantis in their coverage.
Trump stated that he believed Fox News had given up on supporting DeSantis and was actively searching for an alternative candidate. He drew parallels to his own experience during the 2016 election, claiming that Fox News had opposed his candidacy until the very end. Trump recounted that, despite his eventual victory, his relationship with Rupert Murdoch had always been strained. He remarked that he and Murdoch didn’t share a harmonious rapport.
During the interview, Trump shared an anecdote about providing real estate advice to Murdoch concerning properties in New York City. He asserted that he had done Murdoch significant favors and offered valuable counsel, but the conversation was cut off before he could elaborate further on the matter.
Donald Trump also mentioned Rupert Murdoch was at first going to move Fox News to the new World Trade Center building, but he helped get them a better deal.
Trump then playfully suggested that he had been arrested in Georgia for promoting Newsmax, the platform on which the interview was taking place. He humorously claimed that one of the counts against him was related to urging people to watch Newsmax, a lighthearted remark that resonated with his audience.
“Fox has now given up on him entirely, I think. They’re trying to find somebody else. They’re looking for somebody else.”
He continued, “Just like in 2016, they fought me all the way, at the end they said, ‘Oh, we’d love to’— First phone call I got was from Murdoch, but the president of China was called first, and then I took other calls, and then I took Rupert. But Rupert’s not somebody that— He and I don’t get along very well.”
Trump then told Kelly a story about how he gave Murdoch New York City real estate advise and convinced him to stay in a good location.
“I gave him great advise,” Trump boasted. “I did him big favors, but he’s another one that (microphone cuts off).”
During Thursday’s Newsmax interview, Trump also suggested that he had been arrested in Georgia just hours before for promoting Newsmax.
“That was one of my counts. I told people to watch Newsmax,” he claimed. “I got charged for telling people to watch Newsmax.”
After Kelly thanked him, Trump said, “I hope you don’t get charged.”
