The vast majority of respondents to a New York Times/Siena poll who rely on Fox News as their primary information source say they do not believe that former President Trump has committed serious federal crimes.
The poll, conducted July 23-27 among 1,329 voters and released this week, found 91 percent of respondents who listed Fox News as the media source they trust most do no think Trump has violated federal law.
A total of 73 percent of Fox watchers also indicated they do not believe Trump did anything wrong in relation to his handling of classified documents since leaving the White House.
The former president pleaded not guilty this summer after being indicted on 37 federal counts stemming from what prosecutors allege to be his mishandling of classified documents and efforts to block prosecutors from recovering them. The Justice Department brought new charges against Trump in the case last week, accusing him of attempting to delete surveillance footage at his Mar-a-Lago property.
Trump has also said he expects to be indicted in a federal case probing efforts to block the transition of power following the 2020 election. The grand jury in that case is reportedly meeting Tuesday, and several recent signals — including the former president’s own public comments — suggest an indictment is imminent.
The relationship between Fox and Trump has been a rocky one for years.
The former president has relentlessly attacked the network in recent months over its coverage of his chief GOP primary rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and what he says is coverage not supportive enough of himself.
Several of Fox’s top personalities remain vocally pro-Trump, and the former president has participated in a number of town halls and exclusive interviews with the network in recent weeks.
The network earlier this year agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems $787 million to settle claims of defamation brought by the company for airing false claims about its software being promoted by Trump and his allies after the 2020 election.
As part of the months-long legal battle with Dominion, a trove of internal communications from inside Fox around the time of the election showed top hosts and executives criticizing the former president and worrying his false statements about the election could hurt the network.
Fox, the top dog in cable news with a prime-time lineup of opinion hosts that is watched by millions each weeknight, is hosting the first Republican primary debate later this month.
Trump has not committed to participating in the Aug. 23 debate in Milwaukee, citing what he recently called a “hostile” relationship with the network and the sizable lead he holds in most GOP primary polls.