President Trump’s criticism of Fox News in a series of tweets this weekend was reportedly spurred by footage aired on the network of bar patrons in France chanting obscenities aimed at him, according to The Associated Press.
Following the U.S. women’s national soccer team’s World Cup win, Fox correspondent Greg Palkot aired a live report showing patrons in the background chanting “F— Trump” in a bar.
Shortly after the segment aired, the president took to Twitter to voice his displeasure with the network, which he usually praises for its positive coverage of his administration.
{mosads}Trump’s Sunday evening tweets took aim at the network in general, claiming that it is “changing fast” and forgetting “the people who got them there.” But according to the AP, Trump was specifically peeved by Palkot’s report. The outlet cited two Trump advisers who were not authorized to speak publicly.
Trump also blasted the network for using The New York Times as a source, possibly referencing two Sunday segments following up on Times stories about conditions at a child detention center in Texas.
Though Trump is friendly with a number of Fox News hosts, including Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson, he has recently been critical of some of the network’s coverage, particularly from anchors who do not shy away from pressing members of his administration.
According to the AP report, the president has grown more annoyed with Fox News in recent months, repeatedly telling advisers that Fox has been going negative in its coverage of his presidency. He also reportedly expressed annoyance that the network has mentioned his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, the financier and sex offender who was arrested this weekend on sex trafficking charges, in its coverage of the case. Fox has also mentioned Epstein’s ties to former President Clinton.
Trump has said that because he views MSNBC and CNN as both relentless critics of his administration and reticent to attack Democrats, Fox News should remain “loyal” as a counterweight, according to the AP, citing advisers to the president.
But Trump’s reported dissatisfaction with the network clearly has its limits.
On Tuesday morning, Trump tweeted a number of comments praising “Fox & Friends” and commenting on its coverage.
One media analyst told the AP that Trump might take it more personally when he disagrees with coverage on Fox.
“I think he takes ‘Fox & Friends’ literally, that they’re supposed to be friends,” Frank Sesno, director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University, told the AP. “Fox has real journalists who ask real questions, like Chris Wallace. If he thinks the ‘no spin zone’ is going to be the no criticism zone, he’s right most of the time, but not all of the time.”
The Democratic National Committee earlier this year said it would not allow Fox News to host any of the Democratic primary debates following a New Yorker report that detailed the network’s ties to the Trump administration. Fox News and a number of its anchors have criticized that decision.
But the network went on to host a number of town halls featuring some Democratic presidential candidates, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Those candidates have said they want to reach out to viewers on the network.