With increasing unrest at the state of the news media in America today, it appears as if the one whistleblower at the head of the “lamestream media” complaints might be cranking out the cure.
According to recent rumblings and a seemingly unverified report in Axios, President Donald Trump might be toying with the idea of starting his own news outlet to compete with his once fast friends at Fox News.
“President Trump has told friends he wants to start a digital media company to clobber Fox News and undermine the conservative-friendly network,” Axios reported, citing “sources” as their verification for the report.
“The state of play: Some Trump advisers think Fox News made a mistake with an early call (seconded by AP) of President-elect Biden’s win in Arizona” the liberal news outlet went on. “That enraged Trump, and gave him something tangible to use in his attacks on the network.”
Along with whispers, mentions, and a few solid votes of confidence on Twitter, the news that the president could have a new business venture in his future, seems to be taking hold, and the idea is something that would be completely on-brand for the business titan.
“Fox has changed a lot,” Trump said during the most recent interview he has given anywhere, with “Fox & Friends” on Election Day. “Somebody said: What’s the biggest difference between this and four years ago? And I say Fox. I’m not complaining — I’m just telling people,” Trump added. “It’s one of the biggest differences this season compared to last.”
While many in the conservative camp believe that the president will still be pretty tied up with domestic and international affairs for the next four years, no matter when he exits the Oval Office, it’s likely that he won’t be retiring to his own island any time in the near future.
“He plans to wreck Fox. No doubt about it,” Axios reported that “a source with detailed knowledge of Trump’s intentions,” told them.
The president has been critical of all of the major television news networks since he began his campaign in earnest in 2015, and that disillusionment has only become stronger as his presidency has gone on, and he’s been the subject of thousands of hours of spin and shock-journalism at his expense.
While the president raked in all kinds of views and ratings for networks when he was still no more than a novel idea in the 2016 Republican primaries, there was a transition period of shock and viewpoint change after he became the Republican nominee and the true nature of his conservative leanings became more and more apparent.
Axios went on to report that Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch said on a Nov. 3 earnings call: “We love competition. We have always thrived with competition. … Fox News has been the number one network, including broadcast networks, … from Labor Day through to Election Day.”
Axios source stated that the president has a substantial plan to put into action, at an as-yet-undisclosed point, to make something some are calling “Trump TV” a viable business:
“There’s been lots of speculation about Trump starting a cable channel. But getting carried on cable systems would be expensive and time-consuming,” Axios reported. “Instead, Trump is considering a digital media channel that would stream online, which would be cheaper and quicker to start.
“Trump’s digital offering would likely charge a monthly fee to MAGA fans. Many are Fox News viewers, and he’d aim to replace the network — and the $5.99-a-month Fox Nation streaming service, which has an 85% conversion rate from free trials to paid subscribers — as their top destination.”
One massive mark in Trump’s favor is his huge database of email and cellphone contacts that primarily supported his election, and would likely share his widely publicized frustration with the media.
