Donald Trump made his name in the world of reality TV, and is now looking to stars of the small screen to handpick ultra-loyal celebrity newscasters and hosts to staff his incoming administration.
Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick to run the Pentagon, plies his trade on Fox News during the weekend, while the billionaire’s choice to oversee the sprawling public insurance system is none other than TV medic “Dr. Oz.”
Trump’s education secretary will be Linda McMahon, a long-time star and executive of the staged and scripted WWE wrestling brand, whereas Sean Duffy, an MTV reality star turned Fox Business host, will run the transportation department.
All four are better known for their media profiles than their track records in public service, which could prove a liability when the Senate considers the cabinet secretary appointments.
Trump “is a creature of media — he’s existed in tabloid media since the 1980s. His claim to fame was his reality show on network TV ‘The Apprentice.’ He was successful at constructing himself in TV as a successful businessman and leader,” said Reece Peck, City University of New York associate professor and author of “Fox Populism.”
“The lesson Trump takes from that is media power is political power. I don’t think there’s ever been a politician in American history that follows that philosophy more than Trump.
“People are mocking him but I think for the most part, his theory of political power has been proven correct.”
Left-leaning industry monitor MediaMatters criticized the “revolving door” between Fox News, part of mogul Rupert Murdoch’s sprawling empire, and the White House.
Alongside Hegseth and Duffy at the cabinet table will be Tom Homan, Trump’s “border czar” tasked with overseeing the promised mass-expulsion of undocumented migrants, who became a vocal defender of Trump’s immigration policies on Fox after his stint leading the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency during Trump’s first term.
“It says that Fox News has a great deal of influence — it is a network that supports him to the fullest. It functioned during his administration as a kind of state TV outlet that was constantly praising him and attacking his enemies,” said Matthew Gertz, a MediaMatters senior fellow.
Fox News declined to comment.
‘Central position’
The well-worn, two-way street between the media and the White House is just as potent during Democratic presidencies, with a number of former staffers finding berths at Trump-critical outlets CNN and MSNBC.
But Trump’s intimate involvement with Fox News, many of whose commentators share his zeal for anti-elite rhetoric and populist ideals, is without precedent.
Sometimes fawning in his praise, sometimes witheringly critical of the broadcaster, Trump is consistently an insatiable viewer of the channel which he quotes at length on social media.
During his first White House term, he would invite himself onto the flagship show “Fox and Friends.”
When he pardoned military officers accused of war crimes, he credited Hegseth, who campaigned on their behalf on the network.
Another towering figure at the channel is Sean Hannity, who is sometimes compared to a shadow White House chief of staff because of his direct access to the President-elect.
During the 2020 presidential election, Rupert Murdoch’s network infuriated the Trump camp by correctly calling the key state of Arizona for President Joe Biden before all of its media competitors.
In the weeks that followed, Fox News faithfully echoed Trump’s conspiracy theories that the election had been rigged for the Democrat, which led the company to pay an eye-watering $787.5 million settlement to voting machine manufacturer Dominion, the target of the false claims.
Fox News, which denies claims it preys on viewers’ fears around national security and immigration, saw its ratings rise in the wake of the presidential election — widening its lead on rivals CNN and MSNBC.
This campaign saw an expanded role for social media influencers and podcasters at the expense of the big cable channels.
Media analyst Peck said “Fox News still occupies the central position in the conservative media landscape” — and continues to set the agenda.
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