Donald Trump Jr. claimed Tuesday he had been blackballed by an outlet favored by the GOP faithful: Fox News. The network denies the claim.
The younger Trump made his remarks at the Republican National Convention in an interview with Axios' Mike Allen, just after former President Donald Trump announced his selection of Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio as his running mate. The choice did not appeal to Fox founder Rupert Murdoch.
The editorial pages of Murdoch's U.S. newspapers, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post, cast doubt on Vance for the selection. Fox noted Vance had previously suggested Trump "might be America's Hitler" and called him "cultural heroin."
Even so, Vance gave his first interview to Fox's Sean Hannity, an adviser of Trump. It drew more viewers than NBC's interview of President Biden at the same time.
Trump Jr., who touted Vance, told Axios that Murdoch, 93, did not have the same influence he once did.
"There was a time where if you wanted to survive in the Republican Party, you had to bend the knee to him or to others," Trump Jr. said. "I don't think that's the case anymore." (An aide to Murdoch declined comment.)
A review by Media Matters found that Trump Jr. had not appeared for an interview on Fox in more than two years until this week.
At the convention on Monday night, the younger Trump was interviewed by Fox's Aishah Hasnie as part of a cluster of reporters surrounding him.
"Prior to the Axios event, Fox & Friends asked him to appear on the show on Wednesday and he has since accepted that booking," a Fox spokesperson said in a statement sent to NPR. "He is and always has been welcome on all Fox News Media platforms."
Fox has yet to announce whether it will broadcast the convention addresses of two fired former stars: Kimberly Guilfoyle (who is engaged to Don Jr.) and Tucker Carlson.
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