Court papers: Fox’s Carlson hated Trump

NEW YORK — A defamation lawsuit is revealing scornful behind-thescenes opinions by Fox News figures about Donald Trump, including a Tucker Carlson text message declaring, “I hate him passionately.”

Carlson’s private text comments were revealed in court papers at virtually the same time the former president was hailing the Fox News host on social media. Trump said he was doing a “great job” in presenting excerpts of U.S. Capitol security video of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot.

The documents are coming to light at a time of increased tension between Trump and Fox.

Voting machine manufacturer Dominion Voting Systems is suing Fox News for $1.6 billion. The case is to go to trial this spring, and a trove of documents related to Fox’s actions are being released in advance.

A common theme emerging from the internal documents and depositions is that Fox executives and hosts doubted the election claims being peddled by Trump and his allies, but aired and emphasized them anyway.

Fox was growing concerned about a decline in viewership as Trump supporters turned away from the network after it correctly called Joe Biden the presidential winner in Arizona on election night.

The exchanges include Carlson’s text conversation on Jan. 4, 2021, with an unknown person, in which the prime-time host expressed anger toward Trump.

Carlson said that “we are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights” and that “I truly can’t wait.”

Carlson said he had no doubt there was fraud in the 2020 election, but that Trump and his lawyers had so discredited their case — and media figures like himself — “that it’s infuriating. Absolutely enrages me.”

Addressing Trump’s four years as president, Carlson said, “We’re all pretending we’ve got a lot to show for it, because admitting what a disaster it’s been is too tough to digest. But come on. There really isn’t an upside to Trump.”

Publicly, Fox viewers heard very different views, such as a 2017 exchange with colleague Greg Gutfeld in which Carlson agreed that Trump was “the greatest president that ever will be.”

Fox, in response to the court exhibits quoting Carlson that were released late Tuesday, said, “Dominion has been caught red handed using more distortions and misinformation in their PR campaign to smear Fox News and trample on free speech and freedom of the press.”