Chris Ruddy, CEO of the conservative Newsmax outlet and an ally of the White House, said Fox News is hurting itself by covering President Trump with kid gloves.
In an interview with Politico published Thursday, Ruddy, whose own company competes with Fox, said the network’s credibility will suffer if it does not become more critical of the White House.
“Newsmax is very supportive of the president, but we also will publish things that are critical of him time to time,” he said. “Fox seems to have decided to become very closely aligned, which seems unnatural, and it doesn’t seem consistent.”
He added, “It’s just bizarre, and I think they lose their credibility as a news organization.”
Critics of Fox, mostly on the left, have accused the network of covering for Trump’s controversies or perceived scandals, particularly in its morning program “Fox & Friends” and its primetime lineup, which is stacked with mostly pro-Trump commentators like Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity.
Fox recently added Laura Ingraham, an outspoken Trump supporter, to its 10 p.m. slot.
