If there is one thing that Donald Trump reliably produces (other than flagrant lies, infantile insults, and delusional boasts), it’s a constant cacophony of complaining. From his privileged yet twisted perspective, he is the most aggrieved victim of circumstances that unfairly subject him to the torments and misfortunes of a cruel world. And he isn’t shy about displaying this emotionally stunted personality flaw. After all, Trump once bragged that “I am the most fabulous whiner,” as if that were something to be proud of.
High on the list of his most frequent grievances are the relentless assaults on his own State TV network, Fox News. Never mind that it is practically the only network to which he grants interviews, and that it is the home of his closest “Shadow Cabinet” advisors (Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, Lou Dobbs, etc). Trump continues to find fault with the network. and his disappointment is so great that it has motivated him to embark on a desperate search for another more worshipful propaganda outlet like One America News (OANN).
On Monday morning, despite the unflinching sycophancy of Fox News, Trump has once again taken them to task for some unspecified wrong inflicted upon him:
So hard to watch @FoxNews anymore. They are working so hard against the people (viewers) that got them there. Their contributors are a disaster, and all over the place. The Radical Left has scared Fox into submission, just like they have so many others. Sad, but we will WIN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 13, 2020
Most Americans would agree that Fox News is “hard to watch.” Which is why the network only pulls in about one percent of the nation’s population on a good night. Trump’s focus on Fox’s contributors is a clue to what triggered him this morning. He likely saw an interview of a Democratic surrogate who told the truth about Trump’s innumerable failures. In Trump’s mind that is sacrilege. He really believes that Fox News should never host any Democrat or liberal.
It’s also possible that Trump may be reacting to reporting on recent polls that show Joe Biden crushing Trump nationally, as well as in every crucial swing state. In the most recent polling from Fox News Biden beats Trump by twelve points (50-38). And Trump’s approval rating is deeply underwater (44-55).
A couple of months ago Trump threw a Twitter tantrum because “FoxNews is doing nothing to help Republicans, and me, get re-elected on November 3rd.” First of all, that’s a totally unfair criticism. Anyone who isn’t comatose can see that Fox News is working extremely hard to get him and other Republicans elected. Secondly, by whining about it, Trump is admitting that he regards Fox News as an arm of his reelection campaign committee. And Fox doesn’t deny it.
Finally, the notion that “the Radical Left has scared Fox into submission” could only have hatched in a severely diseased brain. Does Trump think that Hannity’s glassy-eyed adoration is submission? Or Carlson’s unvarnished white nationalism? Or the shameless bootlicking by the “Curvy Couch” potatoes of Fox and Friends? The only evidence of submission is that which is demanded by the Fox News Ministers of Propaganda who peddle their doctrine of cult worship 24/7. But that is apparently not enough for the Narcissist-in-Chief who requires 110% blind devotion and unquestioning loyalty. After all, it is a cult!
How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.