Rift Might Be Brewing Between Trump, Fox News

President Donald Trump has amplified his displeasure with mainstream media during the first two months of his second term and now appears to have Fox News in his crosshairs.

On Tuesday, Trump laid into Fox News White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich, who sits on the board of the White House Correspondents Association.

"I watched Jacqui Heinrich from Fox over the weekend and I thought she was absolutely terrible," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "She should be working for CNN, not Fox. Not surprisingly, I later found out that she's a fan of the White House Correspondents Association!"

The association ceded control last month of organizing coverage of the president to the White House.

Newsmax's Bob Brooks gave more details on the purported rift Friday during "American Agenda," which he co-hosts with Katrina Szish. Brooks noted Trump's post about Heinrich and then showed a video of Trump's interview Tuesday night with Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham.

"Fox News host Laura Ingraham also went on the attack, grilling President Trump in an interview that surprised many of the viewers here," Brooks said before playing the video, which showed Ingraham taking an aggressive approach with the president while questioning him about Canada.

Brooks noted that liberal media outlets such as The Daily Beast praised Ingraham. In a report Wednesday regarding the interview, The Daily Beast noted, "Her performance earned her rare praise amongst Democrats for not soft-balling the president as other Fox News hosts, including Sean Hannity, have. It also once again put her in the glare of the MAGAverse, though."

Even retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who was national security adviser early in Trump's first administration, noticed Ingraham's combative nature in the interview.

"The wh needs to stop giving FOX NEWS anymore time," Flynn wrote Tuesday in a post on X. "And ingraham ought to run for president if she thinks she so damn smart. But she thinks she the smartest person in any room.

"It's not about defending him … id rather she ask a tough question and allow him time to answer instead of trying to prove how smart she is. Watching these stupid argument discussions with a potus and a newscaster is ridiculous and why her ratings have dropped. Ask really tough questions and then get out of the way."

Brooks said media outlets are noting the "uncivil war between Fox and the White House," with one saying that Fox owner Rupert Murdoch has declared political war on Trump.

Brooks noted a Business Insider report in 2023 that said after the 2020 election, Murdoch sent an email to Fox leadership stating that his goal was to make Trump into a nonperson because of the events of Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol. Also, Fox opposed Trump during the 2016 Republican primaries and that Trump believes coverage in 2020 by Fox and its anchors at the time, including Chris Wallace, were a reason he lost the election.

"Fox's leadership still remains strongly opposed to President Trump, as well," Brooks said. "Former House Speaker – remember him? – Paul Ryan, he's been critical of President Trump, no surprise. Guess what? Ryan remains on the board of directors of Fox's parent company [Fox Corps.]. The marketplace. Everyone is responding. Alternatives to Fox, they are rising, including us here at Newsmax, which saw record ratings growth last year. And it continues this year, as well."

Newsmax reached out to Fox News and the White House for comment.

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