Respond to prefers-color-scheme dark in app web views

Follow section front redirects in Spectrum

Enable NLP source in PCS for load testing

Switch off the News Alerts Survey Widget when we have enough responses

Poll to determine if new LUF updates are available

Allows the winning A/B test variant to be turned on without Spectrum deployment

Show infinite scrolling sections in Assembler MultiView

Show option for NLP article summaries in Action Bar

A general feature flag for Recipe Features that aren't yet released

Feature flag for media team features that aren't yet released

Use new Orca video player for preroll plugin in Spectrum

Show the snow tracker (instead of the heat tracker) on Spectrum

Biden honors distinguished Americans; Trump back in N.Y. court

Hope Hicks witnessed nearly every Trump scandal. Now she must testify.

State laws measure if a woman is close enough to death for an abortion

The Capitals, a team in transition, know what they want this offseason

Is Pastis as good as our food critic thought? He sent spies to find out.

Nationals can’t solve Nate Eovaldi, drop series finale to Rangers

Israel’s offensive is destroying Gaza’s ability to grow its own food

Riot police and over 2,000 arrests: A look at 2 weeks of campus protests

‘It’s been abused’ Rep. McCaul on motion to vacate threat

Journalism in India is under assault

The dangerous new call for regime change in Beijing

Ukrainian men abroad voice anger over pressure to return home to fight 

On Press Freedom Day, little to celebrate for Hong Kong’s journalists

Young Georgians want to be part of Europe. Their government is in the way.

Taxes are inevitable. Paying to prepare them doesn’t have to be.

What’s the best bus to New York? We tested 5 for comfort and value.

You asked: Do I need a passport for my cruise?

Adaptive equipment is making national parks more inclusive

Teen grabs wheel when driver passes out and school bus veers into traffic

Cat climbed into Amazon return box, found alive 630 miles away

Brave Little Hunter is free: Baby orca escapes lagoon for open seas

An I bond is now at 4.28 percent. Are they still a good deal?

Use these 6 points to say no to a college you and your kid can’t afford

How this new rule protects retirement savers from costly advice

Trump Media auditor charged by SEC with ‘massive fraud’

Google’s empire is massive. A judge will soon rule if it’s a monopoly.

Ask Amy: Should I be the best man if I think the bride is abusive?

Carolyn Hax: Husband keeps pushing modest spouse to wear sexier clothes

Miss Manners: Host eats luxurious breakfast, leaves cereal for guest

The New York Times, alone in its outrage over access to Biden

Wait, what is Stephen A. Smith talking about? Find out with our quiz.

Stephen A. Smith would like even more of your attention

See more coverage in your recommendations

Get the weekly Campaign Moment newsletter

Set alerts for major election developments

Election 2024

The Campaign Moment newsletter

Politics alerts

JIM WATSON

President Trump, as he is wont to do, said the quiet part out loud Wednesday on Twitter.

After apparently seeing something on Fox News that he didn’t like, he tweeted, “The New <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews">@FoxNews</a> is letting millions of GREAT people down! We have to start looking for a new News Outlet. Fox isn’t working for us anymore!”

“Working for us?” The symbiosis between Trump and Fox is hardly a secret, particularly when it comes to the network’s prime-time lineup. But Fox’s line has always been that it’s simply more “fair and balanced” than other outlets — not that it favors Republicans or Trump. No matter how you define “us,” Trump’s tweet sure makes it sound as though he thinks Fox News is there to support him and/or his political base. “Fox News isn’t supposed to work for you,” <a href="https://twitter.com/brithume/status/1166713634824830976" target=_blank>responded Fox analyst Brit Hume</a>.

It’s not the first time Trump <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/28/trump-attacks-fox-news-1476653" target="_blank">has attacked Fox in recent months</a>. He’s applying increasing pressure on the network and apparently hoping it yields even more favorable coverage. His strategy makes sense: Publicly urging supporters to move to another channel, such as <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/an-inside-look-at-one-america-news-the-insurgent-tv-network-taking-pro-trump-to-new-heights/2017/07/05/7475f0a4-4fa2-11e7-91eb-9611861a988f_story.html" target="_blank">the ridiculously pro-Trump One America News Network</a>, could have a significant effect on Fox’s bottom line.

But as mentioned above, this is a symbiotic relationship — it’s not a one-way street. Just as Fox could lose viewers if it alienates Trump and he pushes people to other outlets, Trump relies upon Fox to inform and, in many cases, rally his base. In fact, it’s so influential to such a huge portion of his base that, if it were to buck him over his threats or even just be somewhat less favorable, it could conceivably do him real damage in his 2020 reelection race.

Put a little more plainly: Given the fine margins Trump is dealing with in his reelection campaign, Fox News could help sink him. Fox can lose some viewers and win the ratings wars; Trump basically cannot lose any supporters and win reelection. You could even make an argument that Trump needs Fox more than Fox needs Trump.

Even as Trump was tweeting his not-so-veiled demand for more obsequious coverage, <a href="https://www.suffolk.edu/-/media/suffolk/documents/academics/research-at-suffolk/suprc/polls/national/2019/8_28_2019_marginals_pdftxt.pdf?la=en&hash=7B430F6D7FF6D94F9BEA953636DAD1DCAEB47D39" target=_blank>USA Today and Suffolk University</a> released a poll Wednesday that showed the significant overlap between Trump’s base and Fox. To wit:

Among those who “strongly approve” of Trump, 60 percent trust Fox News more than any other TV news outlet. Fox also accounts for 36 percent of those who simply “approve” of him.

In a 2020 matchup with a generic Democrat and a third-party candidate, Trump earns 54 percent of his support from those who trust Fox the most.

Of the 41 percent of people who have a favorable opinion of Trump, more than half of them say Fox is their most trusted news source (52 percent).

Among the remaining people who say they like Trump, most didn’t have a favorite news outlet. Just 16 percent of Trump supporters named some other outlet tested — whether CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, CBS, C-SPAN, Comedy Central or PBS/NPR. In other words, among people who seem to rely on TV news for their information enough to have a favorite, Fox-first viewers account for 4 out of every 5 Trump supporters.

There’s some guesswork involved here. Just because people trust Fox the most doesn’t mean they necessarily get lots of news from it. And just because they don’t have a favorite doesn’t mean they don’t watch TV news. But generally speaking, it’s clear Fox is the go-to for a huge portion of cable viewers who form Trump’s base.

And given that Trump is <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/08/16/troubling-signs-trump-this-new-fox-news-poll/" target="_blank">struggling to climb out of the low 40s</a> in both his approval rating and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/08/28/trumps-worst-poll-yet/" target="_blank">his 2020 matchups with prospective Democratic opponents</a>, he can’t really afford to lose any of those people.

Let’s imagine Fox were to make a decision, whether conscious or unconscious, to flout Trump’s demands and run with more critical coverage — or even just give more of a platform to his critics. (That seems to be Trump’s most frequent gripe of late.) Trump’s base wouldn’t suddenly be chopped in half, but it could hurt him among people who aren’t so gung-ho about his presidency or who perhaps haven’t been exposed to as many Trump-critical topics. (In part, that’s because Fox hasn’t covered them as much.)

Trump’s apparent desire to steer viewers to a more sycophantic network isn’t as simple as it sounds. While One America News Network and Newsmax are carried by a growing number of operators, their programming isn’t anywhere close to or as advanced as competitors such as Fox. Fox is kind of the only big-time game in town for many Trump supporters, as evidenced by the fact that few select any other network as their most trusted. That means scaring them away from Fox may not lead them to a more favorable alternative.

We shouldn’t expect Fox to suddenly cut bait and run in a more obviously anti-Trump direction. Doing so could have an immediate and significant effect on its bottom line. It saw what happened when it was more skeptical of Trump in 2016, and it’s probably not eager to relive that.

But on some level, its news division has to feel its pride is on the line here. The president just told the world he thinks it’s there to work for his side. What if it worked harder to prove him wrong — or just decided it didn’t like being bullied?

University of Minnesota

Aaron Blake is senior political reporter, writing for The Fix. A Minnesota native, he has also written about politics for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and The Hill newspaper.

Aaron Blake

washpost

the-washington-post

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-TRUMP

Contributor

AFP/Getty Images

Biden administration

The Fix

The 202s

Polling

Democracy in America

Politics

iptc-media/economy_business_and_finance/economic_sector/media

iptc-media/politics/political_process

iptc-media/arts_culture_entertainment_and_media/mass_media/television

iptc-media/politics/government

iptc-media/arts_culture_entertainment_and_media

iptc-media/politics/election

iptc-media/politics/government/heads_of_state

iptc-media/economy_business_and_finance

iptc-media/politics

iptc-media/arts_culture_entertainment_and_media/arts_and_entertainment

iptc-media/arts_culture_entertainment_and_media/mass_media/news_media

iptc-media/arts_culture_entertainment_and_media/mass_media

client-blocklists/Client List: Morgan Stanley KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Becton Dickinson KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/CLIENT LIST: Nomura KWs 2021 - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Boeing KWs 2021- INCLUDE ANY

client-blocklists/ Geico KWs - EXCLUDES ALL_4.29.21

client-blocklists/Client List: Exxon Mobil  - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Client List: Microsoft KWs 2 - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Client List: T. Rowe Price KWs - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/T. Rowe Price KWs - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/HBO KWs - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Ford/Lincoln KWs - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/ExxonMobil 03312021 KWs - INCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Bank of America KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Mercedes KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/WaPo: Combined Disaster Keyword List - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Client List: Inpixon KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

advertising/B2_Business_legacyaux_hws

client-blocklists/Client List: Navy Federal Credit Union NFCU KWs 2 - EXCLUDES ALL - 12.23.20

advertising/B2_Congressional Elections_legacyaux_r48

client-blocklists/Client List: Eli Lily KWs - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Client List: IBM KWs ALTERNATE Watson - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Purina KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

advertising/Citrix Mindfulness

advertising/B2_Government & Policy_legacyaux_mza

client-blocklists/BP KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

advertising/B2_Media and Advertising_legacyaux_xym

advertising/B2_Politically Active - DO NOT REMOVE_legacyaux_lmp

advertising/B2_Politics_legacyaux_8f3

advertising/B2_Positive News_legacyaux_hlt

advertising/B2_Young Professional / International Businessman_legacyaux_r5x

client-blocklists/Client List: GEICO KWs

client-blocklists/Client List: KPMG KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Navy Federal Credit Union NFCU KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Verizon KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Novo Nordisk KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Siemens KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Facebook KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Cisco KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: AT&T ALT KWs - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/FX Excludes All Disney

client-blocklists/Client List: PMI KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Northrop Grumman KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Citibank KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Boeing KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Aetna KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Philip Morris KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Google KWs - INCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: AT&T KWs 2021 - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Dupixent neg kws - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Capital One KWs 2 - INCLUDES ANY - 1.4.21

client-blocklists/Bank of America Merrill Lynch KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/CME KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: IBM KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Google PG KWs - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Chase KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Office Depot KWs - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Client List: ETrade KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

prism://prism.query/site,/politics/the-fix?limit=20

The Washington Post's political analysis blog.

prism://prism.query/site-articles-only,/politics&limit=20

Keeping up with politics is easy with The 5-Minute Fix Newsletter, in your inbox weekdays.

Post Politics from The Washington Post is the source for political news headlines, in-depth politics coverage and political opinion, plus breaking news on the biden administration and White House, Congress, the Supreme Court, elections and more.

prism://prism.query/site,/politics/the-fix&limit=6