Fox News is ghosting Donald Trump, and his diapers are in a bunch about it

So what gives? Is the honeymoon really over and, if so, who gets custody of the lawless orc horde?

The network, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch and boosted Mr. Trump’s ascension from real estate developer and reality television star to the White House, is now often bypassing him in favor of showcasing other Republicans.
In the former president’s view, according to two people who have spoken to him recently, Fox’s ignoring him is an affront far worse than running stories and commentary that he has complained are “too negative.” The network is effectively displacing him from his favorite spot: the center of the news cycle.

Uh oh. They’re ignoring him? That’s worse than outright dumping him. Rupert better double the guard on his pet rabbit.

Among Fox’s other recent affronts against McSloven are the following:

The network refused to carry Trump’s July 22 rally in Arizona, where he telegraphed his likely 2024 Vengeance Tour. Instead, it aired a Laura Ingraham interview with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
On the same day Fox opted not to air Trump’s speech to a group of conservatives in Washington, D.C., it carried 17 minutes of a live address by former Vice President Mike Pence, who is currently polling just slightly ahead of Ross Perot and Michael Dukakis’ tank helmet.
Fox anchor Bret Baier recently said that the House Jan. 6 committee’s investigation into Trump—and its focus on Trump’s 187 minutes of inaction during the Capitol coup—made the former pr*sident “look horrific.”
According to the Times, Trump has recently complained to aides that even Sean Hannity has been ghosting him. Trump last appeared on Hannity’s show on April 13—which was also the last day Trump was interviewed by anyone on the network.
And this! Oh, my God—this! A recent FoxNews.com segment spotlighted Trump supporters who “were overwhelmingly unenthusiastic about a possible third campaign, saying that they thought ‘his time has passed’ and that he was ‘a little too polarizing.’” These voters’ pick for a replacement? Ron DeSantis, naturally.

None of this means the relationship won’t be patched up, of course. If Fox ultimately decides another Trump term would further the cause of evil more than a first DeSantis term, they could very well flip-flop again.

But it does appear that, for now at least, the Murdochs have decided to go in a different direction.

The skepticism toward the former president extends to the highest levels of the company, according to two people with knowledge of the thinking of Mr. Murdoch, the chairman, and his son Lachlan, the chief executive. It also reflects concerns that Republicans in Washington, like Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader, have expressed to the Murdochs about the potential harm Mr. Trump could cause to the party’s chances in upcoming elections, especially its odds of taking control of the Senate.

Hmm, are Mitch & Co. also concerned that Trump literally tried to end America and promises to try again if and when he comes up short in his next attempt to methodically eat our faces off? Because that’s just a wee bit more concerning than the GOP’s current midterm prospects.

Then again, we should take whatever small blessings we can get these days. If Fox can be just a bit less awful in its long-term pursuit of soul-macerating evil, maybe we shouldn’t look a gift horseman of the apocalypse in the mouth.

And yeah, I know DeSantis is arguably worse than The Former Guy, but he has the personality of moist lint. And I’d be somewhat less concerned that he’d nuke California for denying him its electoral votes. But hey, I’ve been wrong before.

Check out Aldous J. Pennyfarthing’s four-volume Trump-trashing compendium, including the finale, Goodbye, Asshat: 101 Farewell Letters to Donald Trump, at this link. Or, if you prefer a test drive, you can download the epilogue to Goodbye, Asshat for the low, low price of FREE.