It appears that Donald Trump’s current plan while president of the United States is to disturb the results of the election that will eliminate him from office in January. It also seems that he may simply wind up back on television once he’s done toying with the idea of a soft coup.
Trump wanting to start his own TV network has been rumored for a long time. Several reports have also said that he believed that would be a good Plan B if he lost in 2016. Among other apparent insults, his new anger at Fox News for calling the election for Joe Biden in Arizona may push him and his surrogates to make that a reality, creating a conventional network that rivals Fox News.
According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, surrogates of the president are interested in making a bid for Newsmax, a small conservative TV network that’s seen gaining Trump fans who think that Fox News just isn’t conservative enough anymore.
Hicks Equity Partners, a private-equity firm with ties to a co-chair of the Republican National Committee, has held talks in recent months about acquiring and investing in Newsmax, according to people familiar with the matter, part of a larger effort that could also include a streaming-video service.
Newsmax’s viewership has risen sharply since Election Day, as it wins over viewers loyal to Mr. Trump who are frustrated that Fox News and other networks have declared Democrat Joe Biden the president-elect. Newsmax hosts have promoted Mr. Trump’s claims that the election was stolen. No evidence of significant fraud has emerged or been presented.
As noted in the WSJ story, Trump has a “complicated” relationship with Fox News. The network’s opinion shows, led by Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson, continue to support Trump and his baseless accusations about the election. The problem is, the network’s news department has to report, you know, the news. That includes the network’s decision desk, and you just can’t editorialize a reality Trump won’t accept.
Talks seem preliminary right now, but it seems to make sense that Trump’s pivot would be involved in taking some sort of revenge on the network for reporting the facts. Trump still insists the election isn’t over, but that bit can only last for so long. Eventually, he’ll have to occupy himself with something else, and that something just might be taking vengeance upon Fox News.
