Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/Fox News/Business Insider
A composite image showing Donald Trump, then a presidential candidate, in a debate sponsored by Fox News in 2016, and Fox News host Bret Baier responding to Trump's comments about the network on Monday.
- A Fox News host refuted US President Donald Trump's claim that the network has "changed" after it published a poll which showed him losing the 2020 election to four Democratic contenders.
- Trump said on Sunday that: "There's something going on at Fox," and that "my worst polls have always been from Fox."
- Host Bret Baier responded to Trump on Monday, saying Fox hasn't changed and that the poll results "matched" other polls, adding that the network's reporting is: "Fair, balanced, and unafraid."
- Trump has recently ramped up his war with the network that has long been his ally, and is reportedly afraid that it isn't loyal enough.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
A Fox News host hit back at US President Donald Trump's suggestion that the network has "changed," after it published a poll showing the president trailing four Democratic contenders in voting intentions for the 2020 election.
Trump responded to a question about Fox's poll on Sunday, telling reporters that "Fox is a lot different than it used to be."
"Fox has changed, and my worst polls have always been from Fox," he said. "There's something going on at Fox. I'll tell you right now. And I'm not happy with it."
Host Bret Baier responded to Trump on Monday, and defended the poll, which showed that four Democratic candidates would beat Trump in the 2020 election.
"OK, well, Fox has not changed," he said.
The poll results matched what we are seeing out there," Baier added.
The poll, published by Fox News on Saturday, showed four Democratic candidates - Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Kamala Harris - beating Trump in a hypothetical 2020 matchup.
The scenarios in the poll, which showed how four Democratic frontrunners would fare if they were picked as the party's candidate in 2020, were as follows:
- Joe Biden - 50%; Trump - 38%
- Bernie Sanders - 48%; Trump - 39%
- Elizabeth Warren - 46%; Trump - 39%
- Kamala Harris - 45%; Trump - 39%
Baier defended the results, saying that they were similar to RealClearPolitics' aggregations of polls.
Baier said that Fox's news coverage is "fair, balanced, and unafraid," and distinguished between its news coverage and opinion coverage.
Baier also appeared to invite Trump on to his Fox News show, "Special Report," noting that Trump had spoken on ABC and NBC shows this year already.
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
Fox News host Bret Baier.
"Mr. President, we've invited you on 'Special Report' many times. We'd love to have you back on. You've talked to George Stephanopoulos and Chuck Todd. Come on back," he said.
Trump has recently ramped up his attacks on Fox News, a longtime ally, reportedly fearing that the network is not loyal enough to him.
Courtesy of FOX News Channel's Justice with Judge Jeanine
Donald Trump in an interview with Fox News.
In July, he tweeted that Fox News is "changing fast, but they forgot the people who got them there!"
He also tweeted earlier in the month that: "Watching Fox News weekend anchors is worse than watching low ratings Fake News CNN."
Trump still has close ties to the network, however, with some of its biggest names acting as informal advisors to him and its hosts and contributors defending even his most controversial policies.
"Fox has not changed. We have a news side and and an opinion side. Mr. President, we've invited you on Special Report many times. We'd love to have you back on. We cover it fair, balanced, and unafraid."@BretBaier responds to @realDonaldTrump criticism.https://t.co/rWxWi9CT7E pic.twitter.com/kwg8afF3Mr
- Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) August 20, 2019