Trump says 'it's a shame' that Fox News anchor Shepard Smith is leaving the network, citing 'terrible ratings' as a reason for his departure

• President Donald Trump called Fox News' host Shep Smith leaving the network "a shame" on Friday, citing "terrible ratings" as a reason for his departure.
• When asked by Daily Mail's David Martosko if Trump or his administration pressured Fox News to "get rid" of Smith, Trump admitted that he didn't even know Smith was leaving the network, peppering reporters with questions regarding Smith's departure. 
• However, Trump offered his own reasoning to Smith leaving Fox News: "I mean, if he's leaving I assume he's leaving because he had bad ratings... He had the worst ratings on Fox. So there's a reason."
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President Donald Trump called Fox News' host Shep Smith leaving the network "a shame" on Friday, citing "terrible ratings" as a reason for his departure.

Smith announced Friday that it was his last newscast, shocking his colleagues and viewers alike. When asked by Daily Mail's David Martosko if Trump or his administration pressured Fox News to "get rid" of Smith, Trump admitted that he didn't even know Smith was leaving the network.

"Is he leaving because of bad ratings?" Trump said to the press. "He had terrible ratings. Is he leaving because of his ratings? I mean, if he's leaving I assume he's leaving because he had bad ratings."

"He had the worst ratings on Fox. So there's a reason," he continued.

Smith said that he resigned from the network, despite Fox News asking that he stay. His resignation comes weeks after being outspokenly critical of fellow Fox host Tucker Carlson's coverage of the Trump impeachment probe.  

Trump and Smith have also been at odds, despite the president's approval of other anchors on the network, and the former Fox News anchor - who had been with the cable network since its inception - has been a target of Trump's tweet attacks.

Read more: Fox News host Shep Smith is leaving the network after 23 years

Smith has also been critical of the president in return, namely during Fox News' coverage of Hurricane Dorian after Trump stated that the hurricane would hit Alabama.

"That map was from the day the hurricane became a hurricane," Smith said during a September 5 newscast. "Eight days ago. August 28. It was four days old at the precise time he said Alabama would likely be hit harder than anticipated. By then, it was fake news defined on a very serious subject."

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• Behind the scenes with Shepard Smith - the Fox News star who just announced his resignation from the network