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US Politics

Trump says he turned off Fox News over co-host Jessica Tarlov's voice

Jessica Tarlov is the lone liberal co-host of The Five, and host Greg Gutfeld later read on air a text he said came from Trump.

Donald Trump in 2025
Donald Trump in 2025. Photo: Daniel Torok, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
7 news outlets reported this
Liberal3 outletsTrump's election-night feud with Fox and its hostCenter2 outletsTrump texts Fox after saying he switched channelsConservative2 outletsTrump leaves Fox on midterm night over Tarlov
Published 3 min read
Overview

President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post on Tuesday, election day, that he was switching away from Fox News because he could not stand the voice of Jessica Tarlov. She is the lone liberal co-host of The Five. He called her "DUMB AS A ROCK" and wrote that he would go elsewhere until she is off the air.

Later that evening, Fox host Greg Gutfeld read on air a text he said came from the president. In it, Trump asked Gutfeld to tell Tarlov she is the worst, and said prices are heading down fast. He also touted his record on gas prices, and Iran.

Trump then posted that the Fox News poll is "always the worst." According to the Daily Beast, he also wrote that Fox ratings are way down and asked why Fox Corp. donates to Democrats. The Independent reports that a Fox poll put his approval at a record-low 36 percent.

It says polls point to potentially steep Republican losses and that Democrats must flip three House seats and four seats to win both chambers. A White House official told The Independent the administration's mood is "cautiously optimistic."

Key figures

Three sides of the story

Liberal3 outlets

Trump's election-night feud with Fox and its host

The Daily Beast's "Trump Curses Out Fox After Host Reveals His Rage Text on Air" says Trump spent election night "rage-posting" on Truth Social about Fox. It covers his post about Tarlov, Gutfeld reading on air a text from "somebody called the president," and Tarlov's joke, "Just press STOP." It then follows Trump's later posts on the Fox poll, ratings and Fox Corp. donations, and says he "correctly" points out that ratings have declined.

A second Daily Beast piece, "Fox News Star Triggers Trump Into Changing the Channel," says what set him off is likelier what Tarlov said on The Five, and quotes her reply to Gutfeld that "Donald Trump made your gas prices high." The Independent opens with Trump saying he turned off Fox because he "can't stand" a female host's voice. It describes Tarlov as a frequent Trump critic, says a Fox poll gave him a record-low 36 percent approval, and quotes a White House official calling the administration's mood "cautiously optimistic."

Center2 outlets

Trump texts Fox after saying he switched channels

Newsweek's report, labeled breaking news, leads with Trump continuing his attacks on Tarlov by sending a text to The Five, after he had said he moved to another channel because she was on. It says Gutfeld told viewers he had a message from "somebody called the president" and read it on air. In Newsweek's account, the text disputes Tarlov's comments and touts the administration's record on gas prices, inflation and Iran.

Trump says "Prices are heading down fast," according to Gutfeld's reading. Newsweek adds that Trump is watching the midterm returns from the White House. The Hill's short item, "Trump turns off Fox News over Tarlov's 'dumb voice'," says Trump described himself as forced to turn off the channel while watching election night updates.

It ties that to a segment of The Five featuring "liberal pundit" Jessica Tarlov and quotes his line that he "can't stand" her voice.

Conservative2 outlets

Trump leaves Fox on midterm night over Tarlov

Just the News headlines its report "Trump ditches Fox News on midterm night, blaming Jessica Tarlov's voice." The piece, by chief political correspondent Ben Whedon, says Trump was spending Tuesday evening watching the midterm results on Fox News but switched away because of an apparent problem with one of its personalities. It quotes his Truth Social post in full, including that he will be "back later."

It describes Tarlov as a Trump critic and one of the network's more liberal figures. It also gives background on the relationship. Trump has long preferred the Murdoch-owned network, which is "generally viewed as more favorable to him than most legacy outlets."

He has also had disagreements with it and occasionally boosted more right-wing networks. The report ends by saying Trump will "almost certainly" stay active on social media while voters decide who controls and Senate for the next two years.

All sources: 8 articles from 7 outlets

Liberal (4)

Center (2)

Conservative (2)

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