Trump slams Doocy for Dem interview, tells FOX to ‘get on board!’
If you’ve been following the headlines, you might’ve seen this one: President Trump is apparently furious because Fox News — yes, Fox News — gave air time to a Democrat.
The former president took to Truth Social after Fox correspondent Peter Doocy interviewed Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly about health care and the government shutdown. Kelly talked about the price of health care and the tax credits at risk of expiring while Congress plays politics. He called on House Speaker Mike Johnson to come back to the table and negotiate — which, in normal times, would sound like responsible leadership.
But instead of focusing on solving the shutdown, the president focused on Fox.
Trump wrote, “Why is FoxNews and Peter Doocy putting on Democrat Senator Mark Kelly to talk about, totally unabated or challenged, Healthcare? The FAKE SPIN is so bad for Republicans that it is hard to believe that we WIN.”
He went on to say, “It will be very unfair, in the future, when they don’t have ‘TRUMP’ to fight for them. Therefore, we should fix it, NOW!”
Let’s pause for a second. You’re the president of the United States. The government is literally shut down — families waiting on paychecks — and your biggest concern is that one cable network dared to interview someone who disagrees with you?
All week, Fox gave the floor to voices that echoed the president’s views. Then, for one Sunday segment, they let a Democrat talk policy — and suddenly, it’s a crisis.
This isn’t about partisan loyalty. It’s about leadership. The government shutting down isn’t a “win” or a “loss.” It’s a failure — across the aisle — to lead. And maybe, instead of blasting the media, it’s time for everyone in Washington to sit down, face reality and fix this expeditiously.
What’s more concerning is that this isn’t just one bad post — it’s part of a pattern. Earlier this year, President Trump proposed a $1.1 billion cut to public broadcasting — that’s NPR and PBS — and filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal. Let’s not forget his $15 billion lawsuit against The New York Times.
He’s also restricted press access to the White House and Pentagon. Remember, back in February, he even banned The Associated Press from the White House press pool for refusing to use his new name for the Gulf of Mexico.
And it doesn’t stop there. He recently settled for $16 million with Paramount and CBS News over a “60 Minutes” piece on Kamala Harris, and $15 million with ABC News over a misquote by George Stephanopoulos.
Then, aboard Air Force One, he said this about the media: “They give me only bad publicity, or press, I mean, they’re getting a license. … I would think maybe their license should be taken away.”
That’s not democracy — that’s intimidation.
The press isn’t supposed to “get on board”, like he’s asking Fox News to do. It’s supposed to hold power accountable, ask hard questions, and represent the people, not the president.
At the end of the day, freedom of the press isn’t a partisan issue. It’s an American one. Because when leaders try to silence criticism instead of confronting problems, they don’t just weaken the media — they weaken the country.
If you can’t handle a tough question and a critical response, maybe it’s not the reporter who needs to change. Maybe it’s the leadership.
Lindsey Granger is a News Nation contributor and co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising.” This column is an edited transcription of her on-air commentary.