The lines between cable news and the administration appear to be getting even blurrier.
By
Jen Kirbyjen.kirby@vox.com
Apr 2, 2018, 4:10pm EDT
Fox
News’s singular ability to speak to Donald Trump is well-documented. Look no
further than the president’s Sunday morning immigrant rant on Twitter,
apparently inspired by a Fox News segment.
But
according to recent reports, Fox personalities aren’t just talking to Trump
through his television screen — on multiple occasions, he’s called them up
during White House meetings to ask their opinions on policy.
Trump’s
penchant for calling up people to chat is well-known. Chris Ruddy, CEO of the
conservative site Newsmax, is often on his list. MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough has
talked about Trump’s calls. Trump even called Roseanne Barr about her show’s
ratings.
Trump
also reportedly chats with Fox Business’s Lou Dobbs, one of his favored hosts,
on a “semi-regular” basis. But the Daily Beast’s Maxwell Tani and Asawin
Suebsaeng report that Trump’s reliance on Dobbs goes way beyond one-on-one phone
calls and jubilant Twitter shoutouts:
As
such, Dobbs doesn’t get to just interview and socialize with the president; he
is involved in some of the administration’s more sensitive discussions. During
the first year of the Trump era, the president has patched in Dobbs via
speakerphone to multiple meetings in the Oval Office so that he could offer his
two cents, according to three sources familiar with these conversations. Trump
will ask Dobbs for his opinion before and after his senior aides or Cabinet
members have spoken. Occasionally, he will cut off an official so the Fox
Business host can jump in.
According
to the Daily Beast, Dobbs has been patched into high-level meetings on trade and
tax policy that featured some of Trump’s top advisers. The relationship between
the TV host and the president is particularly notable because of Dobbs’s
nationalistic views and hardline stances on immigration — meaning as long as
he’s whispering in Trump’s ear, or weighing in on policy, it’s likely Trump’s
positions will similarly fall in line.
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