President Donald Trump publicly criticized Fox News on Tuesday for what he described as soft coverage of Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, escalating months of private complaints from Republican officials about the network's treatment of the candidate. The dispute centers on Fox's role in moderating El-Sayed's public image, a strategy Republicans argue is undermining their efforts to brand him as a liberal outlier in a tight race against former Representative Mike Rogers.
White House officials contacted Fox News on Tuesday to voice dissatisfaction with the network's handling of the recent Martha MacCallum interview, according to people familiar with the conversations. On Truth Social, Trump labeled the segment "softball" and accused the network of promoting Democrats and losing its way. "Fox is promoting the Dumocrats, not the Republicans and MAGA. They have totally lost their way!" he wrote.
The friction between the White House and Fox News has persisted for weeks. Senior Republican operatives contacted Fox producers and executives in early August, warning that El-Sayed could leverage favorable commentary from host Jesse Watters to appear moderate. Following El-Sayed's primary victory over an establishment-backed candidate, Watters told viewers, "You gotta respect Abdul because he beat the [Democratic] machine." El-Sayed's campaign subsequently released a television ad featuring that remark, referring to Watters as an "unlikely validator."
Republican frustrations resurfaced after an August 24 interview where Watters pressed El-Sayed on his criticism of ICE, support for Medicare for All, and views on Sharia law. However, the following day, Watters stated on air, "I actually like Abdul. I probably shouldn't like him, but I do." Fox News reported that the August interview drew nearly 3.4 million viewers, making it the highest-rated cable news primetime telecast of that month.
El-Sayed has utilized Fox News to reach voters beyond the Democratic base. Ad-tracking data shows that from October 1 to 6, El-Sayed campaign ads aired 129 times on Fox News, roughly twice the frequency on ESPN. Dennis Lennox, a Michigan-based GOP strategist, told Axios that the concern extends beyond individual interviews to the constant commercial breaks featuring El-Sayed. Jason Roe, another Michigan-based GOP strategist, noted that while Fox is helping El-Sayed reach center-right voters, the network is driven by the revenue generated from his high viewership.
El-Sayed defended his approach during Monday's interview with MacCallum, stating he intends to have conversations with all kinds of people. Republicans acknowledge that El-Sayed holds his own under tough questioning on issues the GOP targets. A Fox News spokesperson said former Representative Rogers was also invited to appear on Watters' show but did not respond. Jay Wallace, president and executive editor of Fox News Media, told Axios on Tuesday that the network remains willing to air programming its core audience may not want to hear. "Someone didn't necessarily like that," Wallace said, referring to Trump. "But that's what we do." The White House did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.