It has been noted that it took nearly 24 hours and the former President Donald Trump finally addressed the shocking news that Rupert Murdoch was stepping down as Chairman of the Fox Corporation.
It recently came to light that Murdoch has faced an ongoing barrage of insults from the former president. News broke of his stepping down and many in the political media world looked for Trump to immediately celebrate, which only finally came a day later and in a curiously muted humblebrag form.
Trump cited “many people” giving him credit for forcing Murdoch into retirement but claimed that he “did not believe” that to be true. Instead, he took the opportunity to blast another powerful conservative foe, Mitch McConnell, who he blames for giving “Radical Left Lunatics, together with his small band of automatic “yes” votes, EVERYTHING they want.”
Trump wrote on Truth Social:
Many people are saying that,”You forced Rupert Murdoch into retirement!” I do not believe this is so, but while we’re at it, how about getting rid of “Democrat” Mitch McConnell, who gives the Radical Left Lunatics, together with his small band of automatic “yes” votes, EVERYTHING they want. There is ZERO Republican Leadership in the United States Senate. MAGA!!!
The sudden announcement on Thursday that Rupert Murdoch would be stepping down from his role as Chairman of Fox News and taking on the position of Chairman Emeritus, with his son Lachlan Murdoch taking over as the new Chairman, has sent shockwaves throughout the political media industry. Fox News has had a tumultuous year, with a significant $787 million defamation settlement with Dominion Voting Systems, the departure of their top-rated host Tucker Carlson, and a decline in ratings.
However, one of the more challenging issues is how Fox News could cover the GOP leader, former President Trump, who continues to spout false allegations of a “stolen election,” which any reputable news outlet would consistently report as baseless and damaging to US democracy.
Given that Trump holds powerful sway over so many potential Fox News viewers, the network has been somewhat muted in criticizing the former president for fear of losing viewers, a concern that became self-evident in internal memos and emails that emerged in the discovery phase of Dominion’s suit.
Rupert Murdoch no longer having the politically powerful sway to broker the next president, which seems chief among the reasons why he is stepping down. That, and of course, his being 92 years old.
