U.S. President Donald Trump posted multiple tweets on Truth Social on Tuesday evening. During a historically significant mid-term election, as Democrats won one victory after another, Trump turned his criticism towards Fox News.
Trump attributed the Republican Party's defeat to the television network that he has long supported. He wrote on his social media platform that Fox News "continuously and persistently allows those stupid Democratic opponents to appear on their shows, and therefore is responsible for these failures."
The Democratic Party seized control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, and also managed to flip seats in states that are usually more favorable to the Republicans, such as Texas, South Carolina, and Kansas.
Trump also cited Fox's recent ratings as evidence of the network's decline.
He posted a statement saying, 'Fox News' ratings have plummeted significantly (27%) because they spent too much time covering those stupid Democrats who suffer from 'Trump delusion!' Those who used to watch Fox but no longer do now understand that the problem lies with them, not with me.'
Fox News did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In a press release last week, Fox News stated that the average number of viewers in October was 1.1 million, which is a decrease of about 27% compared to the same period last year.
Rupert Murdoch, the CEO of Fox Corporation, mentioned this decline during the company's quarterly earnings conference call on Monday and attributed it to "audience fatigue."
However, Murdoch stated that such changes are expected during the second term of a president, especially as midterm elections approach, and it is not because viewers have switched to reports from competitors.
He said, "These viewers did not switch to any other news channels. They didn't switch to MS NOW nor to CNN. They were just tired, and overall, the time they spent watching TV decreased slightly."
Both MS NOW held by Versant and CNN held by Skydance indicate that the viewership during the prime time in October increased by double digits compared to the same period last year. However, the average total number of viewers for both television stations throughout the day is still lower than that of Fox News.
According to Nielsen data cited by Fox, MS NOW had an average audience of 588,000 throughout the day in October, while CNN had an average audience of 402,000.
Despite a year-over-year decline in Fox News' viewership, the company's other performances this quarter were still strong. Murdoch described it as "an outstanding start to the fiscal year 2027."
Fox Corporation owns linear television networks, as well as entertainment, sports assets, and streaming media businesses. The company reported that its revenue for the first quarter of fiscal year 2027 was $4.57 billion, a year-over-year increase of 22%.
The company stated that advertising revenue performed strongly, with a 47% increase, benefiting from robust political advertising spending and the FIFA Men's World Cup. The event was broadcast in part on Fox platforms during June and July.
Trump often criticizes media companies, especially those broadcasting outlets that he believes are biased against him. Despite his repeated attacks on NBC and ABC under Disney, this president has always maintained a much more friendly relationship with Fox and its affiliated networks.
On the eve of the election, Trump appeared on the Fox News program “Hannity” on Monday evening.
Disclosure:CNBC and MS NOW are both departments under Versant Media.
