Trump returns to favorite TV venue
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump returned to familiar territory by granting an interview last Thursday to Laura Ingraham of Fox News Channel, by far his venue of choice when he chooses to answer questions one-on-one.
That makes 20 interviews he’s given to Fox as president, including three to the Fox Business Network and one to Fox Radio. It’s more than double the number of interviews he’s given to all other television networks combined, said Mark Knoller, CBS Radio White House correspondent, the press room’s unofficial record-keeper.
NBC News, with three, is the next closest network. CNN, a frequent target of the president’s ire, has had none.
Trump, as a former reality TV star, also knows promotion: It was Ingraham’s first week on the air with a new prime-time show and Fox is looking to make a ratings splash.
With Fox, Trump generally stays on friendly territory, speaking on opinion shows that consistently back him, and to hosts such as Sean Hannity, Jesse Watters and Lou Dobbs. Fox journalists Bret Baier, Shepard Smith and Chris Wallace haven’t talked to him as president.
“He’s president of the United States,” said Frank Sesno, a former CNN bureau chief and now a professor at George Washington University. “He should be wanting to talk to different constituencies and different demographics and not just the base.
“It’s also important that the president of the United States understand that part of his job includes being challenged and not always being on friendly territory,” he said. “That’s called accountability.”
Christopher Ruddy, CEO of the conservative Newsmax Media and a confidant of Trump’s, said the president is under siege by the media. “He sees them as hostile and they are,” he said.
“He is the type of guy that likes to support media that’s either friendly or fair so it’s no surprise he goes on Fox a lot,” Ruddy said.
Trump has given 66 interviews since he’s been president, compared to the 132 that Barack Obama did at the same point in his presidency, Knoller said.