Trump touts Fox News, attacks cable news competitors at rally

President Trump once again praised Fox News during a campaign rally Saturday night, touting the network’s ratings and hosts while also attacking its competitors.

“Oftentimes I’m getting ready to do the fake news with CNN or MSNBC — MSNBC is so corrupt it’s so disgusting,” Trump said.

“I would say they’re almost, they’re worst,” he said. “They’re really a fake news group of people.”

{mosads}

“Here’s the good news — the guys that we love, they’re blowing them away in the ratings,” Trump said, before listing a series of Fox News hosts, including Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Tucker Carlson and “the great Lou Dobbs.” 

“CNN is down at the bottom of the totem pole, MSNBC isn’t even close to being next to these shows,” Trump said. “So we’re blowing them away, and that’s good because those are the people that love us.”

TRUMP: “Often times I’m getting ready to do my fake news with CNN and MSNBC. MSNBC is so corrupt, it’s so disgusting. I would say almost they’re worse, they are really a fake news group of people.”

He then name-drops Fox News hosts, says “*we* are blowing them away.” pic.twitter.com/6pJvD7xhxQ

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 4, 2018

Trump is an avid consumer of Fox News and often tweets about the network’s programming — he name-checked Hannity, a close friend and confidant of his, during another rally this week.

Hannity’s Fox News show was the most-watched cable program in July. MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow came in third in last month’s ratings, after Fox News’s Carlson.

AdWeek reported that CNN’s “Cuomo Prime Time” was the network’s only show during July to make the top 10 most highly rated cable news programs among the key demographic of adults, ages 25 to 54.

Trump has repeatedly attacked and sought to discredit outlets like CNN as “fake news.”

The Ohio crowd broke into chants of “CNN sucks” ahead of the president’s arrival on stage.