President Trump reportedly has plans to launch a new media business after his presidency.
According to a report from Axios, the president’s frustration with Fox News hit a peak after the network was the earliest to call the state of Arizona for President-elect Joe Biden. The incident was a “tangible” impetus for Trump to launch a digital streaming network to “undermine the conservative-friendly network,” according to Axios.
“He plans to wreck Fox. No doubt about it,” a source told Axios.
Last week, Trump called Rupert Murdoch, who owns Fox News, to complain after the network called Arizona for Biden. A source familiar with Trump campaign thinking told the Washington Examiner then that the call was “total BS.”
“I don’t know Fox News could be allowed to get away with it. Why did they do it so fast? What was going on?” they said.
Trump’s plans for a digital network would reportedly include a monthly charge for his fans, many of which are also Fox News fans. The goal of the president would be for his media brand to serve as an alternative, and eventually a replacement, for Fox News and its streaming service Fox Nation. However, Fox Nation’s $5.99 monthly service has an 85% conversion rate from those who sign up for free trials to subscriptions.
According to Axios, the plan would not include moving forward on cable systems. “There’s been lots of speculation about Trump starting a cable channel. But getting carried on cable systems would be expensive and time-consuming,” the report reads.
Fox News dominates among networks for overall ratings, particularly during prime-time. Since Memorial Day, the channel has been the most-watched television network in the country. On a Nov. 3 earnings call, Fox Corporation CEO Lachlan Murdoch said the company “loves competition,” but that their “audience has grown” and their “reach has grown.”
“We love competition. We have always on thrived with competition. And we have strong competition now. I would say the only difference today versus some years ago, as our audience has grown and our reach has grown, we see our competition as no longer only cable news providers, but also as the traditional broadcast networks,” Murdoch said. “And, as you know, Fox News has been the number one network, including broadcast networks now, as I mentioned, through from Labor Day through to election day.”
The president would reportedly use his expansive database of “email and cellphone contacts” to gain a head start with potential viewers, and may use vote-count rallies to launch attacks at Fox News.
“He’s going to spend a lot of time slamming Fox,” a source told Axios.
Despite the reported plans, Trump has not conceded the election to Biden as he waits for legal challenges and recounts in battleground states to play out. Yesterday, he again claimed that he “easily” won the swing states of Michigan and Pennsylvania.
The president’s legal team filed a raft of lawsuits to challenge the results of the election in several swing states, citing fraud and other alleged problems. Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani said he has evidence that might change the results of the race in Pennsylvania. The Trump campaign is also asking for a recount in Wisconsin, which was narrowly called for Biden. A range of media outlets declared Biden to be the winner of Pennsylvania on Saturday and, by extension, the winner of the 2020 election. Biden also leads in Michigan.
Two states, Georgia and North Carolina, have not been called by major media outlets. While Biden holds an approximate 14,000-vote lead in the Peach State, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said during a news conference on Wednesday that there would be a “full, by-hand recount.”
