The news of former President Donald Trump’s participation in a town hall event on Fox News next week comes after a prolonged period of criticism against the network, with the former President suggesting it was overly supportive of Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis.
Fox News unveiled plans on Thursday for the event in New Hampshire, which is slated to be moderated by host Sean Hannity, according to The Hill.
Scheduled to be recorded on the morning of June 1, the town hall will later be broadcast on the network that evening.
The announcement came hot on the heels of DeSantis’s official declaration of his intention to run for President. This was made public during a Twitter Spaces chat with Tesla CEO Elon Musk and several journalists. The Florida Governor subsequently appeared on Fox News, discussing his campaign further with host Trey Gowdy.
The network has been in Trump’s crosshairs for quite some time, particularly after it saw a decline in its viewership post the dismissal of Tucker Carlson in April. Trump had not shied away from acknowledging Carlson’s departure, even as he criticized Fox News for what he perceived as a loss of its “prestige”.
In one post from May 15, he said of network contributor Mark Thiessen, “He sucks, & so does FoxNews!”
“Fox News is way down in the Ratings,” he wrote on Truth Social on May 15. “After firing Tucker Carlson and refusing to fight against a VERY Corrupt and Rigged 2020 Presidential Election, which just cost them plenty of money, prestige, and RATINGS, they are a far cry from what they used to be.”
Trump concluded, “Fox News has become the DeSanctimonious Network, but it will never work because he doesn’t have the goods. Without my Endorsement, he was a dead man walking. Even with Fox, he’s already pretty close to that again!”
In several occasions in the past few months, Trump was repeatedly accusing Fox News of pushing DeSantis and his candidacy.
“They are desperately pushing DeSanctimonious who, regardless, is dropping like a rock,” Trump posted.
He added, “FoxNews has become the DeSanctimonious Network, but it will never work because he doesn’t have the goods.”
A week later, Trump set his sights on Fox News host Laura Ingraham:
Just a few weeks following his engagement with CNN in a similar town hall meeting in New Hampshire, former President Donald Trump’s next appearance will be on Fox News in the same state.
At the previous CNN event, Trump skillfully handled an attempted confrontation by the network’s host, Kaitlin Collins.
At this point, the most probable candidates anticipated to emerge from the 2024 GOP primary are thought to be Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, despite the increasingly crowded lineup.
Among the contenders who have officially entered the race are Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Tim Scott, in addition to several others who are seen as having less of a chance.
Speculation is also rife that former Vice President Mike Pence will soon formally announce his intention to run.
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