The Democratic National Committee will not allow Fox News to broadcast any of its 2020 presidential primary debates, citing a recent report about the close relationship between the Trump administration and the conservative cable network.
"I believe that a key pathway to victory is to continue to expand our electorate and reach all voters. That is why I have made it a priority to talk to a broad array of potential media partners, including FOX News," DNC Chairman Tom Perez said in a statement Wednesday.
"Recent reporting in the New Yorker on the inappropriate relationship between President Trump, his administration and FOX News has led me to conclude that the network is not in a position to host a fair and neutral debate for our candidates. Therefore, FOX News will not serve as a media partner for the 2020 Democratic primary debates," the statement adds.
The decision comes after a lengthy article by Jane Mayer in The New Yorker detailed the increasing coziness between President Trump and the network, which has long had a conservative tilt but that one source in the piece calls simply "propaganda" and effectively Trump's "own press organization."
Former Fox News President Bill Shine is now the White House communications director, and Trump has given dozens of exclusive interviews to Fox while eschewing other networks, often deriding them as "fake news." Host Sean Hannity has appeared as a special guest at Trump rallies, and in the New Yorker story, he is referred to as essentially "a West Wing adviser."
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05.21.2025