Startling new court documents have exposed the profound tensions between Fox News executives and Donald Trump during the volatile 2020 election period, revealing that the network's chief executive laid down an ultimatum about the former president's appearances.
The 'Golden Rule' Ultimatum
According to a trove of thousands of documents released on Sunday as part of a massive defamation lawsuit filed by voting technology company Smartmatic, an explosive exchange took place on 1 October 2020. Lachlan Murdoch, the chief executive of Fox News parent company Fox Corp, sent a decisive text to star anchor Sean Hannity.
Murdoch's message, which also went to his father Rupert and Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott, stated clearly: "Sean, sorry, but the president is not coming back on air if he uses it to attack us." He described this as a "golden rule" applied equally to both sides of the political spectrum, signing off with "Thx L."
This warning came just before Trump's interview with Hannity that same day, during which the president complained that Fox was "a much different place than it used to be." Hannity's response to Murdoch's message remains concealed, as it was redacted in the released documents.
Post-Election Backlash and Internal Crisis
The situation deteriorated significantly after the November 2020 presidential election, when Fox News faced something of an existential crisis as its traditional supporters turned against the network.
The documents reveal that when Fox News called the state of Arizona for Joe Biden, it triggered intense anger among Trump's supporters. Hannity acknowledged this fury in a separate correspondence, writing to a producer: "Trump people hate Fox. Hate hate hate."
Internally, executives grappled with how to handle the backlash. While Fox publicly stood behind its Arizona call, internal emails show Lachlan Murdoch suggested the network should consider reversing its call if Biden's margin fell below 1% of the vote. Suzanne Scott responded that she wasn't recommending such a move "at this time."
Keeping Executives Awake at Night
The released documents include previously unreported exchanges that illustrate the depth of concern among Fox's leadership about viewer backlash.
In a 23 November 2020 email to his son, Rupert Murdoch expressed alarm about the audience numbers, writing: "Getting killed in audience numbers. All day long. We have to keep our nerve but worth a discussion. Won't hurt subscriber revenue, but will soon cut into [advertisements]."
Lachlan Murdoch's response revealed his own anxiety, replying that he would call his father the next morning and adding: "Agree re FNC. Keeping me awake at night."
Further documents show Rupert Murdoch's concerns extended to accusations that Fox News had encouraged claims about a stolen election. In a 21 January 2021 email, he wrote that he was "still getting criticism for [Fox News Channel]. Saying leading voices encouraged stolen election bullshit and pushed Jan 6 rally."
In the same thread, Murdoch discussed removing business network host Lou Dobbs from the air, suggesting: "Just take him off the air and negotiate later." Dobbs's show was cancelled the following month.
Deposition Revelations and Legal Battle
The documents also included Smartmatic's deposition of Rupert Murdoch, where he acknowledged that Fox News made a decision to "pivot" after the election by "moving away from our support of Trump." However, he noted the difficulty of this shift, explaining: "Our very large audience tended to be Trump supporters. We didn't want to upset them totally. That, we did before. They'd been attacking us."
Significantly, Rupert Murdoch affirmed that he believed Trump's claims of a stolen election contributed to the January 6 US Capitol attack, though he denied it was a "riot" and described it as "intended to be just be a rally outside the Capitol."
When asked by a Smartmatic lawyer whether he took any steps to ensure hosts didn't endorse claims about the 2020 election being stolen, Murdoch responded simply: "No. No." He added that he was "very happy [with] the way Fox News was handling it" regarding the network's post-election coverage.
In his own deposition, Lachlan Murdoch defended Fox News's journalistic approach, stating: "I can't imagine a more newsworthy story than the sitting president of the United States calling into question the election results." He maintained that "we did not make the allegations against Smartmatic" but rather reported on the president's claims.
The legal battle continues to unfold, with both parties tentatively scheduled to argue their case for summary judgement next month. A Fox News spokesperson has strenuously denied Smartmatic's claims, while a Smartmatic spokesperson hailed a recent court decision as "an important victory" in their effort to hold Fox accountable.
