Donald Trump is once again at war with Fox News — and this time, he’s dragging Rupert Murdoch into the blast zone.
The former president launched into a fiery tirade Thursday morning after a newly released Fox News poll showed him slipping below 45% approval just 100 days into his second term. In a Truth Social post that doubled as a declaration of war, Trump accused the 94-year-old media mogul of failing to root out what he called a “Trump-hating, fake pollster” who he claims has been sabotaging the MAGA movement for years.
“Rupert Murdoch has promised me over and over that he would fire this fraud,” Trump fumed. “But he never does. This pollster has been wrong about everything — and continues to mislead the American people.”
The numbers, released Wednesday night, dealt a sobering blow to the Trump camp: just 44% overall approval, a notch lower than where he stood at this point during his first term. Worse still, the poll found majorities disapproving of his handling of immigration, foreign policy, and the economy. Support for his high-stakes tariffs on Chinese goods? Just 33%.
While he did score a win with 55% approval on border security — a standalone issue separate from immigration — the broader picture painted by the poll was unmistakable: Americans are increasingly uneasy with Trump’s second-term performance.
And Trump is furious.
“It Sucks!”: Trump Rips Into Murdoch-Owned WSJ
The former president didn’t stop at Fox. He also targeted another Murdoch property — The Wall Street Journal — for its editorial critiques of his economic agenda.
“While he’s at it, Rupert needs to fix the China-loving Wall Street Journal,” Trump wrote. “It sucks!!!”
The Journal recently published a searing editorial calling Trump’s tariff policy “the biggest economic policy mistake in decades.” That editorial came on the heels of a New York Post front page — also Murdoch-owned — that mocked Trump for golfing while the markets plunged.
For a man once coddled by conservative media, the mood has shifted — and Trump knows it.
Inside the Polling Friction
The Fox News poll was overseen by Dana Blanton, vice president of public opinion research, and a longtime target of Trump’s wrath. Her division has conducted polling for the network for nearly three decades, earning a reputation for methodological rigor and nonpartisanship — something that hasn’t stopped Trump from accusing her of bias.
“She’s the one,” a source close to Trump said. “He thinks Dana is out to sink him.”
Blanton, known for her quiet professionalism, has previously said she avoids reading reader comments when publishing poll breakdowns. “It’s not productive,” she told The Los Angeles Times in 2019.
Fox’s Delicate Balancing Act
On air, Fox anchors tried to spin the damage.
“This isn’t great,” admitted Brit Hume, the network’s senior political analyst, during a Wednesday segment with Bret Baier. “But it’s not shocking either.”
“There’s still time,” Baier added, referring to Trump’s ongoing efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict and bring inflation down. “A lot of balls in the air.”
Despite this on-air optimism, Trump’s camp is bracing for more turbulence. “He’s livid,” one former White House staffer said. “He thinks Fox is abandoning him.”
The Trump-Murdoch Cold War
While Trump and Murdoch once shared a mutually beneficial relationship — Trump boosted ratings, and Murdoch delivered favorable coverage — the alliance has grown strained. Trump believes Murdoch is allowing his media empire to drift away from the MAGA base, especially as more GOP voters flirt with potential 2028 candidates.
“He sees it as betrayal,” said one Republican strategist. “He built his political identity on Fox’s platform, and now that platform is questioning him.”
Neither Fox News nor The Wall Street Journal returned requests for comment.
With approval ratings sagging and the 2026 midterms approaching, Trump appears ready to declare open media war — not just on his critics, but on the very outlets that helped create him.
“Fox is no longer what it used to be,” he wrote Thursday. “It’s time for new voices to rise.”
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What do you mean « former President?! » DJT is our current president and the press is of their father, the devil, a.k.a., father of lies. The lake of fire awaits liars.
Trump isn’t running again… we don’t care about any short term poll results… we just want Trump to keep getting the job done… Then turn things over to Vance…
Nextgennews… is that defined as gossip disguised as news or just propaganda? As usual un-named sources, a strategist ( but no name etc), is that news? Of course slanted against Trump, always.
And then I quote directly from the article two distinctly contradictory statements…
“ The former president launched into a fiery tirade Thursday morning after a newly released Fox News poll showed him slipping below 45%” FORMER PRESIDENT? You do this all the time. Does it still stick in your craw that he won? And then later in the Article…
“ Trump’s second-term performance.…” he can’t be both in his second term and be the former president at the same time! That’s just bad reporting, bad writing and bad editing.
And as to polls; remember when the polls said Hillary was going to win? Or Kamala? Both wrong.
In addition controversy sells papers Murdock knows that too!
So just as you can’t believe everything you tead( old saying) you can’t believe all the reasons for actions on both sides?
But bottom line the American people voted for change because the deep state is out of control and not looking out for citizens and the deep state includes government, and media too