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Former President Donald Trump on Thursday lashed out at the Fox News program Fox & Friends, accusing the show of using unflattering photographs of him.
Trump has previously taken exception to Fox News' political coverage, including its content relating to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is competing with Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination for president. In one Truth Social post earlier this month, the former president wrote, "MAGA, which is most of the Republican Party, is very angry at Fox News for continuing to push Ron DeSanctimonious..."
Trump recently called Fox News "hostile," and his Thursday comments suggest he still feels the network is unfair to him.
"Why doesn't Fox and Friends show all of the Polls where I am beating Biden, by a lot. They just won't do it! Also, they purposely show the absolutely worst pictures of me, especially the big 'orange' one with my chin pulled way back," Trump wrote on his Truth Social media platform.
He continued, "They think they are getting away with something, they're not. Just like 2016 all over again...And then they want me to debate!"
Newsweek reached out to representatives for Fox News and Trump via email for comment.
As Trump referenced, Fox News is hosting the first GOP presidential debate on August 23. Trump has not committed to appearing at the event and has suggested he might instead hold his own alternative event during Fox News' debate or later on the same night.
"Why would I give them time to make statements? Why would I do that when I'm leading them by 50 points and 60 points," Trump told Reuters in June when asked about participating in the Fox News debate. "Not to be braggadocious but the debate will not be a very exciting one if I'm not there."
Trump has previously accused Fox News of using "horrible" photos of him while saying the network's alleged attacks against him are hurting its primetime ratings.
Following campaign appearances in New Hampshire in June, Trump wrote on Truth Social that a few people in the state had asked him "why Fox News uses such 'horrible' pictures of me when doing or promoting a story."
"The coloring, distortions, everything are just so bad. They must sit and look at 100 different shots, and then take the 10 absolute worst. My staff has even complained about it for months, but to no avail. Fox is just bad news, but I'm leading in the Polls by record numbers, so perhaps their bull.... is just not working. They are down 37% for a reason!" Trump added.
About the writer
Jon Jackson is a News Editor at Newsweek based in New York. His focus is on reporting on the Ukraine ... Read more