Trump Was Fed Questions by Fox News Employee Ahead of High-Profile Town Hall: Report

[Mr. Sparkle]

Source: Mediaite.com

President-elect Donald Trump benefitted from a Fox News employee leaking the questions anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum planned to ask him during a high-profile town hall last January, according to a new book from Politico’s Alex Isenstadt. In one excerpt from the book — Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power — shared with CNN, Isenstadt reported on the January 2024 town hall. While the then-candidate’s team was “still peeved at Fox, whose coverage they continued to find antagonistic,” Trump himself “had a good relationship with Baier—they were golf buddies—and wanted to do a sit-down.”

From the book: "About thirty minutes before the town hall was due to start, a senior aide started getting text messages from a person on the inside at Fox. Holy s–t, the team thought. They were images of all the questions Trump would be asked and the planned follow-ups, down to the exact wording. Jackpot. This was like a student getting a peek at the test before the exam started."

But Trump was displeased. The leak revealed that Baier and MacCallum “planned to ask Trump if he would divest from his businesses if he won, and whether the party was taking a risk nominating him given his indictments,” “press Trump to ‘disavow political violence'” and ask about his focus on “retribution.” “Trump was pissed,” and felt “like attacks designed to put him on the defensive,” wrote Isenstadt. Yet “with the questions in hand,” his team was able to prepare for the aggressive lines of questioning.

Isenstadt attributed his reporting to “multiple people with direct knowledge.”

Read more: https://www.mediaite.com/news/trump-was-fed-questions-by-fox-news-employee-ahead-of-high-profile-town-hall-report/

[chicoescuela]

1. and this is surprising?

every republican accusation is an admission

[republianmushroom]

4. Shouldn't be, this has been going on for 8 years.

[Ocelot II]

2. Of course he was. And he was pissed off because he didn't like those questions!

He accused ABC of giving Harris debate questions in advance - once again, every accusation is a confession.

[kimbutgar]

3. I'm shocked I tell you shocked he would do something so despicable

[ificandream]

5. How many times does it need to be repeated that Fox is not journalism.

The label "Fox News" is false advertising for the dummies who watch it.

[Boomerproud]

6. 99.9% of the comments on the CNN site are pathetic magas.

They circle the wagons no matter what. No words.

[FakeNoose]

7. It's highly doubtful that Chump would have answered these questions anyway

Having advance knowledge of the questions - for Chump - is meaningless, because he lies and changes the subject every time. Faux Noise knows this, and for all we know they encourage that behavior. Faux just wanted to score a few points for asking "tough" questions that they KNEW would never be answered.

I'm calling this a tempest in a teapot.

[Paladin]

8. Imagine my total lack of surprise.

If Kamala Harris had been afforded the same sort of information prior to a public questioning session, the NY Times would still be shrieking in outrage.

[endgenocide]

9. I'm shocked!

[Marthe48]

10. and he still came across as a bloviating turd

n/t

[Miguelito Loveless]

11. So, rather than report it befor the election

he saved it for his book.

Nice.