Nicolai Haugsted
Trump furious with Fox News host after broadcast fails to give him the coverage he wanted.
Donald Trump spent much of Sunday criticizing one of Fox News’ most prominent anchors after her program challenged members of his administration on several politically sensitive issues.
The president targeted Shannon Bream following an edition of Fox News Sunday that scrutinized his administration’s spending priorities and questioned the legal basis for his planned White House ballroom.
Trump first responded with a lengthy Truth Social post after the morning broadcast. Hours later, he returned to the subject with another attack on Bream and accused her program of treating his administration and political movement unfairly.
Bream interviewed Attorney General Todd Blanche, Trump’s former personal attorney and his choice to lead the Justice Department.
Discussion covered the administration’s $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization fund as well as the White House ballroom project, which has encountered a significant legal obstacle.
A court has ordered construction on the ballroom to stop because the project lacks congressional approval. Bream challenged Blanche over why the administration had not simply sought authorization from lawmakers.
Blanche responded that the administration believes Congress has already provided sufficient authority for the work and therefore sees no requirement to return to lawmakers for separate approval.
Trump subsequently accused Bream of repeatedly presenting negative guests, polling and graphics while failing, in his view, to give sufficient attention to his administration’s record.
Fox News political analyst Juan Williams also appeared during the broadcast and characterized Trump as unpopular, adding another source of irritation for the president.
Trump eventually declared the program beyond saving.
“In any event, Shannon’s ‘show’ is beyond redemption,” Trump wrote. “Fortunately, MAGA, which is close to 100% of the Republican Party, understands that, and watch her ‘Ratings’ start to fall,” he writes on Truth Social.
Ratings remain relatively stable
Available audience figures do not currently indicate a significant collapse for Bream’s Sunday program.
Fox News Sunday with Shannon Bream attracts roughly one million viewers per week, according to USTVDB, with ratings remaining comparatively stable.
Trump nevertheless predicted that the program would suffer after accusing its host of treating him unfairly.
His initial criticism also compared Bream’s coverage with CNN and included a lengthy defense of his administration’s performance.
Trump later attempted to minimize the importance of the broadcast while emphasizing that he was continuing his work from the Oval Office.
The criticism, however, was not finished.
Sunday evening brought another Truth Social post focused specifically on images of the White House construction site shown during Bream’s program.
Trump complained that the photographs were several months old and did not accurately represent the amount of work subsequently completed at the site.
His second attack also revived a nickname he has previously used against Bream, referring to her as “Milk Toast,” apparently an attempted play on the word “milquetoast.”
“Her show, Fox News Sunday, is so biased against MAGA, ‘TRUMP,’ and Republicans, that it is ridiculous!” Trump wrote. “Also, she, Brett [Baier], and others, should stop showing Fake Polls — They’re just embarrassing themselves.”
Ballroom remains under scrutiny
Trump’s reaction comes as the White House ballroom remains both a political priority for the president and the subject of a legal dispute.
Critics have questioned the administration’s decision to proceed without specific congressional authorization, while the administration maintains that existing authority is sufficient.
Bream’s questioning placed that disagreement directly before Blanche during a program broadcast by a network whose audience includes a substantial number of Republican voters.
Trump has previously responded personally to journalists whose coverage or questioning he dislikes, including CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, CBS correspondent Norah O’Donnell and Bloomberg reporter Catherine Lucey.
Both direct quotations included above were written by President Donald Trump in posts criticizing Shannon Bream and her Fox News program.
