Following the controversy, Fox News chairman and CEO Roger Ailes came to Kelly’s defense but according to Trump, called him to assure he would be treated fairly on the network.
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She says in a statement that when coverage did not go Mr Trump’s way, he engaged in personal attacks on Fox anchors and hosts.
O’Reilly, for his part, chalked Trump’s tirade up to his need to entertain.
Numerous Fox hosts and personalities then fired back at Trump, and some saw the pushback as a sign they were getting a thumbs-up from the network to do so.
“And this machine, this tweeting thing, it’s like the worst thing you can give Donald Trump”, O’Reilly said.
The GOP frontrunner on Wednesday went after Kelly again on Twitter, calling her a “lightweight” and suggesting she needed another vacation.
Although Trump’s absence as a guest on Fox News Channel is unlikely to have much of an impact on the ratings of regular Fox News programming, a long-lasting boycott would be a major detriment to the outlet’s upcoming primary debates. It remains to be seen whether his hiatus from Fox News will impact his popularity.
There is no denying Donald Trump is ratings gold for any show or network that chooses to offer him a spot.
Would there be any real threat to Fox viewership if Trump loyalists, many of whom would seem to be Fox viewers, turned the dial?
Spokespeople from Trump’s office and Fox News did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and Trump has yet to specify exactly what he objects to in the network’s coverage.
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Trump’s presidential campaign stood by the candidate’s earlier tweet in a statement released later Wednesday. Like his feud with Kelly, Trump re-tweeted numerous posts supporting his anti-Fox News stance.
