Trump says Fox News bears responsibility for Republicans' midterm losses; Bret Baier says results were close to Fox polls
Trump wrote that Fox News bears responsibility for Republicans' midterm losses by putting Democrats on air. Bret Baier told him the results were close to Fox polls. Newsmax's Greg Kelly agreed with Trump; Bill de Blasio told him to blame himself.
Case period:
Published by The Dispute Index editorial teamPublished Updated
Overview
Shortly before midnight Eastern time on election night, President Trump wrote that Fox News bears responsibility for Republicans' midterm losses by putting Democrats on the air. Minutes later, when he told Fox on a call that its polls were terrible, anchor Bret Baier answered that the night's results were close to what Fox polls showed.
Read the full background
In the November 3, 2026 midterm elections, Democrats won control of the House and were projected late in the evening to win the Senate. Fox News covered the results with anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum and a panel that included former New York City mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat.
Through the evening, Trump posted about the network on Truth Social. At 5:25 p.m. Eastern he wrote that he could not stand the voice of Jessica Tarlov, a liberal co-host of The Five, and called her "DUMB AS A ROCK." Tarlov replied on X that her remarks about the highest gas prices on any Election Day had aggravated the president. Trump later called the Fox News Poll a hit job, wrote that Fox's ratings were down because it spent too much time covering Democrats, and asked why Fox Corp. donated to Democratic lawmakers and party committees.
At 11:52 p.m. Eastern, after objecting to de Blasio's appearance on the panel, Trump wrote that Fox News bears responsibility for the losses by constantly and consistently putting on the Democratic opposition. Minutes later he called in to Fox's coverage. On the call he congratulated Democrats, said the Fox polls were terrible and told the anchors to get a good pollster. Baier answered that the night's results were pretty close to what the Fox polls showed.
The next day, de Blasio told Trump on X to blame himself rather than him or Fox News, and CNN's Brian Stelter wrote that Trump had implausibly tried to blame the network. Newsmax host Greg Kelly said on his program that he agreed with Trump that conservative media, especially Fox News, bear a lot of responsibility. Fox News did not immediately respond to TheWrap's request for comment, and we did not find a statement from the network as of November 8, 2026.
People in this case
Donald TrumpDirectly involved
Timeline
6 timeline entries on this page. Dates: November 3, 2026 to November 4, 2026
November 2026
Trump posts that he cannot stand Jessica Tarlov's voice on Fox's election coverage
Incident
Shortly before the first polls close, Trump writes that he is watching Fox News's pre-election coverage but cannot stand co-host Jessica Tarlov's voice, calling her "DUMB AS A ROCK" and a "LOSER". Tarlov replies on X that her comments about the highest gas prices on any Election Day aggravated the president and that he should get better at dealing with reality.
[01]Donald Trump
Cited from the trumpstruth.org archive, which records the original post ID, the original URL (truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/117554852721008421) and the posting time. Before the first polls closed, Trump writes that he is watching the pre-election coverage on Fox News but cannot stand the voice of co-host Jessica Tarlov, and that he will switch away until she is off the air.
Donald J. Trump Truth Social post on Jessica Tarlov and Fox News election coverage, November 3, 2026 · Donald TrumpFull post, 5:25 p.m. Eastern, November 3, 2026[02]Jessica Tarlov
Tarlov writes that her comments about the highest gas prices on any Election Day aggravated the president, and that reality is a tricky thing and he should get better at dealing with it.
Jessica Tarlov's X post replying to Trump's election-night criticism, November 3, 2026 · Jessica TarlovFull post, 7:02 p.m. Eastern, November 3, 2026[03]CNN
CNN analysis by Brian Stelter. It says Trump wrote shortly before midnight that Fox News bears responsibility for the losses, then called in to Fox minutes later, congratulated Democrats and called Fox's polling terrible, and that Bret Baier defended his colleagues. It also describes Trump's earlier posts about Jessica Tarlov and Fox ratings, Tarlov's reply on X, and de Blasio's remarks on Fox's panel.
Trump blames Fox News while his MAGA media allies blame everything but him · CNNFull analysisTrump attacks the Fox News Poll and says Fox ratings are down
Incident
Trump writes that the Fox News Poll is always the worst and that every question is a hit job. In a second post he says Fox News ratings are down 27 percent because the network spends too much time covering Democrats, and asks why Fox Corp. donates to Democratic lawmakers and party committees.
[04]Donald Trump
Cited from the trumpstruth.org archive, which records the original post ID, the original URL (truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/117555132125642508) and the posting time. Trump writes that the Fox News Poll is always the worst, that its questions are insulting, and that every question is a hit job.
Donald J. Trump Truth Social post on the Fox News Poll, November 3, 2026 · Donald TrumpFull post, 6:36 p.m. Eastern, November 3, 2026[05]Donald Trump
Cited from the trumpstruth.org archive, which records the original post ID, the original URL (truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/117555228889927200) and the posting time. Trump writes that Fox News ratings are down 27 percent because the network spends too much time covering Democrats, cites a CNN poll on his standing among Republicans, and asks why Fox Corp. donates to Democratic lawmakers and party committees.
Donald J. Trump Truth Social post on Fox News ratings and Fox Corp. donations, November 3, 2026 · Donald TrumpFull post, 7:00 p.m. Eastern, November 3, 2026Trump writes that Fox News bears responsibility for the losses
Claim
Shortly after the Senate is projected to flip to Democrats, Trump asks why Fox News has Bill de Blasio on the air and writes that the network bears responsibility for the losses by constantly and consistently putting on the Democratic opposition.
[06]Donald Trump
Cited from the trumpstruth.org archive, which records the original post ID, the original URL (truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/117556376518256698) and the posting time. Trump asks why Fox News has former New York City mayor Bill de Blasio on the air, calls him the worst mayor in the city's history, and writes that Fox News bears responsibility for the losses by constantly and consistently putting the Democratic opposition on the air.
Donald J. Trump Truth Social post saying Fox News bears responsibility for the midterm losses, November 3, 2026 · Donald TrumpFull post, 11:52 p.m. Eastern, November 3, 2026[07]Trump Says Fox News 'Bears the Responsibility' for GOP's Midterm Election Losses
TheWrap reports that shortly after the Senate was projected to flip to Democrats, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Fox News bears responsibility for the losses. It quotes his earlier posts that evening about Jessica Tarlov, the Fox News Poll and Fox ratings, and says a Fox News representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On a call to Fox, Trump calls its polls terrible and Bret Baier says the results were close to them
Reaction
A few minutes after the post, Trump calls in to Fox News's election coverage. He congratulates Democrats, says the Fox polls are terrible and tells the anchors to get a good pollster. Bret Baier answers that the night's results were pretty close to what the Fox polls showed.
[08]Aaron Rupar
A clip of Trump's election-night call to Fox News, posted by journalist Aaron Rupar shortly after it aired. Trump says he read at Fox that he is not popular, calls the Fox polls terrible and tells the anchors to get a good pollster. Bret Baier answers that the night's results were pretty close to what the Fox polls showed, and Trump replies that he does not know about that and was speaking for himself.
Aaron Rupar's X post of the Fox News exchange between Trump and Bret Baier, November 4, 2026 · Aaron Rupar44-second clip of Fox News election-night coverage[09]Bret Baier Pushes Back When Trump Calls Into Fox News and Blames Network for Election Results
TheWrap reports that after posting that Fox News bears responsibility for the losses, Trump called in to the network, said the Fox polls were terrible and told the anchors to get a good pollster. It quotes Bret Baier's answer that the results were pretty close to what the Fox polls showed and Trump's reply that he was speaking for himself.
Bret Baier Pushes Back When Trump Calls Into Fox News and Blames Network for Election ResultsFull article, including the quoted exchange[10]Roll Call
Roll Call Factbase transcript of Trump's election-night interview on Fox News. Asked about the takeaways from the night, Trump says part of it was Iran but that people understood the importance of what he had done there. Asked about exit polls on the war, he says he thinks the gasoline price, not the war, was the cause, and that he was not on the ballot.
Transcript: Donald Trump interview with Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum on Fox News, November 3, 2026 · Roll Call00:02:14 to 00:07:18, questions about the election results and the war[03]CNN
CNN analysis by Brian Stelter. It says Trump wrote shortly before midnight that Fox News bears responsibility for the losses, then called in to Fox minutes later, congratulated Democrats and called Fox's polling terrible, and that Bret Baier defended his colleagues. It also describes Trump's earlier posts about Jessica Tarlov and Fox ratings, Tarlov's reply on X, and de Blasio's remarks on Fox's panel.
Trump blames Fox News while his MAGA media allies blame everything but him · CNNFull analysisBill de Blasio tells Trump to blame himself, not Fox News
Reaction
De Blasio, who appeared on Fox's election-night panel, writes on X that Trump was wrong on the Iran war, tax cuts, Medicaid cuts and data centers, and that Trump should blame himself rather than de Blasio or Fox News.
[11]Bill de Blasio
De Blasio quotes a post that reproduces Trump's message about him and Fox News. He writes that Trump was watching, that he told Trump he was wrong on the Iran war, tax cuts, Medicaid cuts and data centers, and that Trump should blame himself rather than de Blasio or Fox News.
Bill de Blasio's X post telling Trump to blame himself, November 4, 2026 · Bill de BlasioFull post, quoting Eric Daugherty's post of Trump's Truth Social messageNewsmax's Greg Kelly says he agrees with Trump about Fox News
Reaction
On the November 4 edition of his Newsmax program, Greg Kelly says he agrees with Trump that conservative media, especially Fox News, bear a great deal of responsibility for the result, and criticizes Fox hosts as lazy and too casual.
[12]Media Matters for America
Media Matters' clip and transcript of Greg Kelly's Newsmax program the night after the election. Kelly says he agrees with Trump that conservative media, especially Fox News, bears a lot of responsibility, then criticizes Fox host Jesse Watters for joking on election night and calls the network lazy and too reliant on CNN. The quoted words were checked against the audio of the clip.
Newsmax's Greg Kelly on the midterms: "I agree with President Trump" (Media Matters clip and transcript) · Media Matters for AmericaClip and transcript from the November 4, 2026 edition of Greg Kelly Reports
Claims
Claims separate what was said from what is contested. Follow each source for the original wording and context.
What's disputed
Disputed claim
Trump says Fox News bears responsibility for Republicans' losses in the November 3, 2026 midterms because it constantly and consistently puts the Democratic opposition on the air.
What is disputed
On a call to Fox minutes later, anchor Bret Baier told Trump the night's results were close to what Fox polls showed. CNN's Brian Stelter called the attempt to blame the network implausible, and Bill de Blasio, whose appearance on Fox Trump had objected to, told Trump to blame himself. Newsmax host Greg Kelly said he agreed with Trump. We did not find a statement from Fox News as of November 8, 2026.
Sources (6)
- Donald J. Trump Truth Social post saying Fox News bears responsibility for the midterm losses, November 3, 2026 · Donald TrumpFull post, 11:52 p.m. Eastern, November 3, 2026
- Bret Baier Pushes Back When Trump Calls Into Fox News and Blames Network for Election ResultsFull article, including the quoted exchange
- Trump blames Fox News while his MAGA media allies blame everything but him · CNNFull analysis
- Bill de Blasio's X post telling Trump to blame himself, November 4, 2026 · Bill de BlasioFull post, quoting Eric Daugherty's post of Trump's Truth Social message
- Newsmax's Greg Kelly on the midterms: "I agree with President Trump" (Media Matters clip and transcript) · Media Matters for AmericaClip and transcript from the November 4, 2026 edition of Greg Kelly Reports
Response record
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Clear response filtersSources
(14)
Original text
Donald J. Trump Truth Social post saying Fox News bears responsibility for the midterm losses, November 3, 2026
Relevant passage: Full post, 11:52 p.m. Eastern, November 3, 2026
About this source
Cited from the trumpstruth.org archive, which records the original post ID, the original URL (truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/117556376518256698) and the posting time. Trump asks why Fox News has former New York City mayor Bill de Blasio on the air, calls him the worst mayor in the city's history, and writes that Fox News bears responsibility for the losses by constantly and consistently putting the Democratic opposition on the air.
- Author
- Donald J. Trump
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Jessica Tarlov's X post replying to Trump's election-night criticism, November 3, 2026
About this source
Tarlov writes that her comments about the highest gas prices on any Election Day aggravated the president, and that reality is a tricky thing and he should get better at dealing with it.
- Author
- Jessica Tarlov
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
David Pakman's Bluesky post on Trump blaming Fox News, November 4, 2026
Relevant passage: Full post
About this source
Pakman writes that Republicans lost everything and learned nothing, citing Trump blaming Fox News and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt blaming voters, and says they are not learning any lessons from the result.
- Author
- David Pakman
- Published
- Accessed
Analysis
Trump blames Fox News while his MAGA media allies blame everything but him
Relevant passage: Full analysis
About this source
CNN analysis by Brian Stelter. It says Trump wrote shortly before midnight that Fox News bears responsibility for the losses, then called in to Fox minutes later, congratulated Democrats and called Fox's polling terrible, and that Bret Baier defended his colleagues. It also describes Trump's earlier posts about Jessica Tarlov and Fox ratings, Tarlov's reply on X, and de Blasio's remarks on Fox's panel.
- Author
- Brian Stelter
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Brian Stelter's Bluesky post on Trump blaming Fox News, November 4, 2026
Relevant passage: Full post, linking his CNN analysis
About this source
Stelter writes that Trump began election night by lashing out at Fox News, implausibly tried to blame the network for the Republican losses, and by the end of the night was on the phone with Fox's anchors. The post links his CNN analysis.
- Author
- Brian Stelter
- Published
- Accessed
Original video
Newsmax's Greg Kelly on the midterms: "I agree with President Trump" (Media Matters clip and transcript)
Relevant passage: Clip and transcript from the November 4, 2026 edition of Greg Kelly Reports
About this source
Media Matters' clip and transcript of Greg Kelly's Newsmax program the night after the election. Kelly says he agrees with Trump that conservative media, especially Fox News, bears a lot of responsibility, then criticizes Fox host Jesse Watters for joking on election night and calls the network lazy and too reliant on CNN. The quoted words were checked against the audio of the clip.
- Author
- Greg Kelly Reports (Newsmax); clip and transcript published by Media Matters
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Bill de Blasio's X post telling Trump to blame himself, November 4, 2026
About this source
De Blasio quotes a post that reproduces Trump's message about him and Fox News. He writes that Trump was watching, that he told Trump he was wrong on the Iran war, tax cuts, Medicaid cuts and data centers, and that Trump should blame himself rather than de Blasio or Fox News.
- Author
- Bill de Blasio
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Aaron Rupar's X post of the Fox News exchange between Trump and Bret Baier, November 4, 2026
Trump, calling in to Fox News's election-night coverage, says the Fox polls are terrible, and anchor Bret Baier answers that the results were pretty close to what the Fox polls showed. Aired shortly after midnight Eastern on November 4, 2026.
DI added its logo in the corner.
Video: Fox News, via Aaron Rupar on X. Excerpt used for news reporting and commentary
Watch the full original video (opens in a new tab) (relevant passage: 44-second clip of Fox News election-night coverage)
About this source
A clip of Trump's election-night call to Fox News, posted by journalist Aaron Rupar shortly after it aired. Trump says he read at Fox that he is not popular, calls the Fox polls terrible and tells the anchors to get a good pollster. Bret Baier answers that the night's results were pretty close to what the Fox polls showed, and Trump replies that he does not know about that and was speaking for himself.
- Author
- Aaron Rupar (Fox News footage)
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Bret Baier Pushes Back When Trump Calls Into Fox News and Blames Network for Election Results
President Trump calls the Fox News polls terrible and Bret Baier replies that the night's results are close to them, during Fox News election night coverage, Nov. 4, 2026.
TheWrap's article cited for this source embeds this post. DI added its logo in the corner.
Video: Fox News, via Aaron Rupar (@atrupar on X). Excerpt used for news reporting and commentary
Watch the full original video (opens in a new tab) (relevant passage: Full article, including the quoted exchange)
About this source
TheWrap reports that after posting that Fox News bears responsibility for the losses, Trump called in to the network, said the Fox polls were terrible and told the anchors to get a good pollster. It quotes Bret Baier's answer that the results were pretty close to what the Fox polls showed and Trump's reply that he was speaking for himself.
- Author
- Andi Ortiz
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Trump Says Fox News 'Bears the Responsibility' for GOP's Midterm Election Losses
Relevant passage: Full article
About this source
TheWrap reports that shortly after the Senate was projected to flip to Democrats, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Fox News bears responsibility for the losses. It quotes his earlier posts that evening about Jessica Tarlov, the Fox News Poll and Fox ratings, and says a Fox News representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
- Author
- Alyssa Ray
- Published
- Accessed
Original text
Donald J. Trump Truth Social post on Fox News ratings and Fox Corp. donations, November 3, 2026
Relevant passage: Full post, 7:00 p.m. Eastern, November 3, 2026
About this source
Cited from the trumpstruth.org archive, which records the original post ID, the original URL (truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/117555228889927200) and the posting time. Trump writes that Fox News ratings are down 27 percent because the network spends too much time covering Democrats, cites a CNN poll on his standing among Republicans, and asks why Fox Corp. donates to Democratic lawmakers and party committees.
- Author
- Donald J. Trump
- Published
- Accessed
Original text
Donald J. Trump Truth Social post on the Fox News Poll, November 3, 2026
Relevant passage: Full post, 6:36 p.m. Eastern, November 3, 2026
About this source
Cited from the trumpstruth.org archive, which records the original post ID, the original URL (truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/117555132125642508) and the posting time. Trump writes that the Fox News Poll is always the worst, that its questions are insulting, and that every question is a hit job.
- Author
- Donald J. Trump
- Published
- Accessed
Original text
Donald J. Trump Truth Social post on Jessica Tarlov and Fox News election coverage, November 3, 2026
Relevant passage: Full post, 5:25 p.m. Eastern, November 3, 2026
About this source
Cited from the trumpstruth.org archive, which records the original post ID, the original URL (truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/117554852721008421) and the posting time. Before the first polls closed, Trump writes that he is watching the pre-election coverage on Fox News but cannot stand the voice of co-host Jessica Tarlov, and that he will switch away until she is off the air.
- Author
- Donald J. Trump
- Published
- Accessed
Original text
Transcript: Donald Trump interview with Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum on Fox News, November 3, 2026
Relevant passage: 00:02:14 to 00:07:18, questions about the election results and the war
About this source
Roll Call Factbase transcript of Trump's election-night interview on Fox News. Asked about the takeaways from the night, Trump says part of it was Iran but that people understood the importance of what he had done there. Asked about exit polls on the war, he says he thinks the gasoline price, not the war, was the cause, and that he was not on the ballot.
- Published
- Accessed
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- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Trump says Fox News bears responsibility for Republicans' midterm losses; Bret Baier says results were close to Fox polls
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- Last updated
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- https://disputeindex.com/cases/trump-fox-news-responsibility-republican-midterm-losses
The Dispute Index. "Trump says Fox News bears responsibility for Republicans' midterm losses; Bret Baier says results were close to Fox polls". First published: 2026-11-09. Last updated: 2026-11-10. https://disputeindex.com/cases/trump-fox-news-responsibility-republican-midterm-losses