Welcome back to Media Matters’ weekly newsletter. This week:
Right-wing media figures are setting the stage for the GOP 2028 presidential nomination, with Fox & Friends running an anti-JD Vance campaign.
Right-wing media are splitting over Pete Hegseth, with some saying that he should depart from the administration.
After defending Trump’s costly Iran war all year, Fox News is now warning that Democrats fresh off sweeping victories will make energy prices higher.
Following the Democratic midterm blowout, Fox’s Mark Levin is under pressure from the right about his Iran war cheerleading — and his explanations and defenses are in direct conflict with what he’s argued over the course of the year.
The new Republican leader in the House of Representatives, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), has made at least 716 weekday appearances on Fox News since 2017.
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This week's infighting
This week, right-wing podcasters fought over who is responsible for “the destruction of the Republican Party,” with some hosts condemning Iran hawks as “trash” and a “humiliation” to the right. Also, Fox’s Mark Levin was unable to access his AOL account and was brutally mocked for complaining like an old man. You can read all about the podcaster infighting this week here.
Right-wing media are divided over whether immigration hurt or helped the Republican Party’s disastrous midterm performance. The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro blamed the “casual nastiness” around immigration rhetoric and enforcement, while others claimed immigration was a “nonissue” in the midterm elections. Some figures on the right are even treating the election results as evidence of the “great replacement” conspiracy theory.
MAHA advocates are celebrating former White House chief of staff Susie Wiles’ ousting from the administration as they welcome a scapegoat for policy betrayals and the midterm results.
Megyn Kelly responded to President Donald Trump questioning the midterm election results: “Too big to rig. That’s what just happened to your party.”
Right-wing media figures set the stage for who they want on the GOP ticket in 2028
Citation
Media Matters / Andrea Austria
Major Democratic victories in the 2026 midterms are revealing disagreements within right-wing media over the future of the Republican Party — the debate about who should top the GOP ticket in 2028 has started, and the post-election blame game is shaping the conversation. Some of the top contenders receiving attention are Vice President JD Vance, outgoing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The day after the election, Vance released a social media post blaming the Iran war for the Republican midterm losses. In response, Fox host Brian Kilmeade said Vance was “the person who did the most damage to the war effort.” Others argued Vance was tarnished by his proximity to Trump. Meanwhile, Turning Point USA’s Alex Clark and Jack Posobiec took the opposing view, characterizing Vance’s post as “smart” and a measure of “accountability,” respectively.
Fox & Friends is emerging as the nexus of the “anybody but JD Vance” campaign for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination. Co-hosts Kilmeade, Ainsley Earhardt, Lawrence Jones and their guests have spent the days since the midterms savaging Vance’s forthcoming effort to succeed Trump and propping up alternative candidates.
Media Matters has this comprehensive piece about where right-wing media are falling on the 2028 GOP nomination.
Excuse me?
Following the Democratic midterm blowout, Fox’s Mark Levin is under pressure from the right about his Iran war cheerleading — and his explanations and defenses are in direct conflict with what he’s argued over the course of the year.
The new Republican leader in the House of Representatives, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), has made at least 716 weekday appearances on Fox News since 2017.
Tucker Carlson and his guest suggested abortion is “child sacrifice” performed for “demons.” You can read more about Carlson’s obsession with demons here.
Fox & Friends defended Hegseth with an inane claim that “drug boat” killings “saved thousands of lives.”
After incoming House Oversight Committee Chairman Robert Garcia (D-CA) commented that Trump administration officials should “lawyer up,” Jordan went on Sean Hannity’s November 11 Fox show to condemn him. Hannity, a Trump stalwart, also joined the chorus of MAGA figures pretending to be deeply concerned about Garcia’s remarks. But their performative outrage ignores the fact that current Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) used identical language about a Democratic target of one of his own probes while appearing on Hannity’s show just eight months ago.
The right-wing media split over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
Citation
Molly Butler / Media Matters
On Monday, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) filed articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Among other charges, the articles charged that Hegseth waged Trump’s war against Iran without legal authorization and that he conducted extrajudicial killings in an ongoing series of boat strikes. Though the House voted to block them, the episode highlighted dissent within right-wing media regarding Hegseth’s future in the administration.
Since the midterm elections, some right-wing commentators have argued for Hegseth to depart from the administration. Others have rallied in his defense. Many of Hegseth’s former colleagues at Fox News — where he used to co-host the weekend edition of Fox & Friends prior to Trump nominating him to the Cabinet — have been praising his performance as defense secretary.
You can check out more about this split in right-wing media here.
Democrats won the midterm elections. Fox is already warning that they’ll make energy prices higher.
Ahead of the midterms, Fox News and Fox Business personalities warned that voting for Democrats would keep gasoline prices high or drive them even higher. Democrats won decisively, and Fox has carried the same argument over to its coverage of the results. Hosts and guests on the network are already questioning whether incoming Democrats can deliver relief and suggesting that if prices do fall, Donald Trump would deserve credit.
Fox has been hesitant to frame the president as the source of high gas prices, even as his war with Iran has driven gasoline price spikes throughout the year. Now, some Fox hosts are already telling viewers that Democratic policies will keep gasoline expensive and that Trump’s push for more drilling will deserve the credit if prices fall. (The notion that increasing domestic oil production will lead to “energy independence” and insulation from global price shocks is a common refrain in right-wing media, despite the fact that the U.S. will never be free from oil and gas price fluctuations in a global market.)
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