Global Network & Technology Excellence Awards: Trump Calls Fox News ‘The RINO Network’ Over DeSantis Coverage And 2020 Election Revelations

TOPLINE

Former President Donald Trump attacked Fox News on Tuesday, calling it “the RINO Network,”— referring to the moniker Republicans In Name Only—following allegations made public last week that Fox News hosts and executives privately rejected Trump’s claims of fraud in the 2020 election, despite hosting a steady stream of election deniers who promoted Trump’s unfounded allegations.

KEY FACTS

Trump, in a post on Truth Social, took issue with Fox’s coverage of a Staten Island event hosted Monday by his likely opponent in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Trump encouraged CNN to pick up the perceived Trump-coverage gap left by Fox, a move he predicted would make the network a “ratings juggernaut.”

The remarks are the strongest of several criticisms Trump has issued against Fox since a new court filing revealed that a number of anchors who parroted Trump’s false claims of a stolen 2020 presidential election were allegedly in wide agreement that there was no evidence of fraud.

BIG NUMBER

139. That’s the number of people Trump said were at what he described as a “small and unenthusiastic” DeSantis event on Staten Island Monday, where the Florida governor delivered a tough-on-crime message to members of law enforcement. While it’s unclear how many were in attendance, the Prive catering hall that hosted the event states on its website that its capacity is 140 people. ABC 7 described the event as “packed.” Forbes has reached out to DeSantis’ campaign for comment.

KEY BACKGROUND

DeSantis delivered pro-law enforcement messages in New York, Philadelphia and Chicago on Monday, though he has yet to formally announce a run for president, a decision some politicos speculate will come after the Florida legislature concludes for the year in May.

TANGENT

Trump has faced a string of controversies that have prompted many in GOP circles to distance themselves from the former president since announcing his third run for the White House—the latest of which came Friday in court papers filed by Dominion Voting Systems in its billion-dollar defamation suit against Fox News. The company alleged that Fox personalities and executives denied, in testimonies and internal communications, the far-right conspiracy aired by the network that linked its voting systems to widespread fraud.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Trump on Wednesday will visit East Palestine, Ohio, where a train carrying hazardous materials derailed more than two weeks ago, leading to reports of health issues among residents. Some Republicans have criticized President Joe Biden for visiting Ukraine—where an estimated 40,000 civilians have died over the past year as a result of its war with Russia—instead of East Palestine. Biden made an impromptu stop in Kyiv on Monday days before the February 24 anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced it would send a team to East Palestine on Friday, hours after Gov. Mike DeWine (R ) said the agency had deemed the town ineligible for the FEMA relief. Trump suggested, without evidence, FEMA’s decision was prompted by his announcement that he would visit the site of the derailment. “As soon as I announced that I’m going, [Biden] announced a team will go,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.