Anchorage: Trump Criticizes Fox News Ratings and Hosts on Election Night

President Donald Trump launched a series of public criticisms against Fox News on Election Day, targeting the network's polling, ratings, and specific on-air personalities. The comments appeared on Truth Social during the early hours of the election cycle.

Trump first directed his attention to Jessica Tarlov, a co-host on the panel show The Five. He described her voice as a distraction that prevented him from watching the pre-election results. In one post, he called her voice a primary irritant and stated he would switch channels until she was off the air.

Co-host Greg Gutfeld read a text message from the president during a broadcast. The message detailed Trump's critique of Tarlov's remarks regarding high gas prices. Tarlov later responded on X, stating that her comments reflected the highest gas prices recorded on any Election Day. She noted that the president should improve his ability to deal with reality.

The president also attacked the network's internal polling data, which has historically shown Democratic strength. He called the poll the worst available and described the questions as a hit job. He claimed the answers were often incorrect and that this pattern had persisted for years.

Trump cited a 27 percent decline in Fox News ratings year over year. He attributed the drop to the network's coverage of what he called the Trump Deranged Democrats. He argued that former viewers left the channel because of that coverage, not because of his own performance.

The criticism extended to financial support from Fox Corporation, the parent company of Fox News. Trump noted that the corporation made political donations to Democrats and affiliated groups. He claimed the network was against him and warned that its ratings would continue to fall as a result.

Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch addressed the ratings decline during an earnings call. He cited viewer fatigue as the primary cause. While Fox News maintains higher viewership than rivals CNN and MSNBC, those competitors posted gains during the same period. Representatives for the White House and Fox News did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump has historically been a loyal viewer of the network and has frequently posted commentary about its broadcasts in real time. He has also selected Fox News personalities for top government posts, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, now a paid contributor to Fox News, defended the president during the election night coverage. She suggested voters may have been listening to the lying media on the other side. Aside from his social media posts and a few interviews with CBS News and the Financial Times, the president remained quiet during the first hours of the night.