Vice President JD Vance secretly met with the homeowners of the right-wing Fox Information channel on Tuesday, proper because the community has been pushing lies and propaganda in regards to the protests towards abusive immigration raids in Los Angeles.
The Related Press stories that Vance flew to Montana and met with media mogul Rupert Murdoch, his son Lachlan Murdoch (who runs Fox Information and the Fox Company media empire day-to-day), and different Fox Information executives.
The assembly was not on a publicly launched schedule for Vance, and his workplace didn’t give the press advance discover that the assembly would happen.
The White Home hasn’t acknowledged the assembly, not to mention revealed what was mentioned, reminiscent of whether or not the Trump administration is coordinating messaging and speaking factors, however historical past reveals that has lengthy been the development.
Rupert Murdoch based and launched Fox Information in 1996 alongside Republican operative and sexual predator Roger Ailes. For the whole thing of its existence Fox has attacked Democrats and the left, commonly selling racism, homophobia, misogyny, and outright lies and misinformation.
The assembly with Vance occurred whereas President Donald Trump has deployed navy forces to Los Angeles in an try and silence protests towards Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. The administration ratcheted up these raids after senior officers like Stephen Miller reportedly expressed outrage that mass deportation efforts are failing to seek out large portions of prison undocumented immigrants that Trump promoted through the 2024 election.
Fox Information has for years been on the forefront of right-wing propaganda popularizing false narratives of crimes attributable to migrants. In latest days, the community has promoted lies meant to justify Trump’s navy motion whereas misleadingly emphasizing the extent of violence at protests in LA.
As an illustration, Fox promoted Trump’s false narrative in regards to the content material of his telephone name final Friday with California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Newsom made it clear that Trump by no means introduced up deploying the Nationwide Guard, however then Fox and Trump each pushed the lie alleging that Newsom mentioned there was by no means a telephone name between the 2 males.
Fox can be pushing hate and conspiracies about protesters, with hosts describing them as “ungrateful children of immigrants.” When Newsom addressed the nation to name out Trump’s invasion, Fox led the right-wing media response, lambasting the governor.
Trump owes a lot of his political profession to Fox, who transitioned him from actuality TV host to political pundit by giving him a slot on “Fox & Friends” through the Obama administration. The community has been at his facet all alongside, offering concepts and personnel for each of his administrations whereas defending him and attacking his political enemies.
His present management is packed to the gills with ex-Fox Information staffers, from Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth, to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, and most not too long ago within the guise of interim U.S. legal professional Jeanine Pirro. Trump administration figures like Legal professional Normal Pam Bondi (a former Fox Information worker as effectively) seems extra usually on Fox Information than in some other setting, consistently pushing pro-administration falsehoods and narratives.
Sometimes, the Murdoch-owned Wall Avenue Journal has provided slight criticisms of Trump, significantly in relation to his harmful tariff insurance policies. In response, he referred to as the paper “rotten” and “China-oriented,” and even referred to as for the editorial workers to get replaced.
However the assembly with Vance reveals that there are nonetheless shut bonds on the highest ranges between the 2 camps. Fox has proven time and time once more that it’s keen to go to bat for Trump, and Trump rewards the community together with his consideration and reward—an affidavit to how intertwined they each are.
Fox even paid out a settlement of $787 million to Dominion Voting Techniques after they pushed pro-Trump lies after the 2020 election, and it hasn’t severely shaken their unholy alliance. Fox and Trump are on this collectively for the lengthy haul, and Vance’s conveniently timed junket is a reminder of that.
