Fox News is the best conduit for getting a point across to President Trump, according to one of his staunchest supporters — former House Speaker and Trump campaign surrogate Newt Gingrich.
Speaking to The New York Times, Mr. Gingrich said that appearing on either the “Fox & Friends” morning program or Sean Hannity’s evening news show is key to reaching Mr. Trump.
“The two most effective ways of communicating with Trump are ’Fox & Friends’ and ’Hannity,’ ” Mr. Gingrich said in an interview published online Tuesday.
“Occasionally, we’d talk on Sean’s show knowing Trump was watching,” Mr. Gingrich added.
Mr. Gingrich, 74, served Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1979 to 1999 and acted as the speaker of the Republican-controlled chamber during his final four years in office. He’s been a Fox News political analyst since 2015, according to its website, and campaigned heavily for Mr. Trump during his successful 2016 run for the White House.
Mr. Trump, on his part, has hardly been quiet about his admiration for Fox News and praised the network over its competitors as recently as Monday.
“We should have a contest as to which of the Networks, plus CNN and not including Fox, is the most dishonest, corrupt and/or distorted in its political coverage of your favorite President (me). They are all bad. Winner to receive the FAKE NEWS TROPHY!” Mr. Trump tweeted Monday morning.
Mr. Gingrich subsequently appeared on “Hannity” about 12 hours later and told the host: “The president has a lot to crow about.”
Mr. Trump has previously denied watching much television, tweeting in July: “I have very little time for watching T.V.”
“People that don’t know me, they like to say I watch television — people with fake sources. You know, fake reporters, fake sources,” Mr. Trump reiterated earlier this month.
Through his Twitter account, however, Mr. Trump paints a different picture. He’s tagged @foxandfriends in more than 30 tweets since taking office, and on Tuesday morning he appeared to react within minutes to a segment about the ongoing national anthem protests happening at professional football games.
“The NFL continues to struggle as protests against the anthem rages on,” a “Fox & Friends” host announced Tuesday morning as the network displayed photographs of stadiums well below capacity.
“At least 24 players kneeling this weekend at NFL stadiums that are now having a very hard time filling up,” Mr. Trump tweeted 16 minutes after the segment concluded, Mediaite first reported. “The American public is fed up with the disrespect the NFL is paying to our Country, our Flag and our National Anthem. Weak and out of control!”
We should have a contest as to which of the Networks, plus CNN and not including Fox, is the most dishonest, corrupt and/or distorted in its political coverage of your favorite President (me). They are all bad. Winner to receive the FAKE NEWS TROPHY!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2017
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.