Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump lashed out at Fox News on Monday, accusing the conservative network of airing ads “over and over again” that feature former first lady Michelle Obama endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for president.
During a Monday rally in Atlanta, Trump launched his latest grievance against Obama after she ripped Trump’s qualifications to hold office during an Oct. 26 rally for Harris in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
“You know who’s nasty to me?” Trump asked the audience, “Michelle Obama,” he revealed while groaning, “Oooooh,” which prompted boos from the audience. After a brief pause, Trump falsely claimed, “I always tried to be so nice and respectful,” to the Obamas before adding: “Oooooh, she opened up a little bit of a … a little bit of a box, she opened up a little bit of something. Oh, she was nasty, oooooh.”
Trump’s frustration was reportedly intensified by Obama’s Saturday speech endorsing Harris, which clashed with his own Michigan rallies in Traverse City and Detroit that same weekend.
“I hope that you will forgive me if I’m a little angry that we are indifferent to his erratic behavior, his obvious mental decline, his history as a convicted felon, a known slum lord, a predator found liable for sexual abuse — all of this while we pick apart Kamala’s answers from interviews that he doesn’t even have the courage to do, y’all,” Obama said about Trump.
She went on to describe Harris as the “grown-up” in the race, but noted that she feared “too many people are willing to write off Trump’s childish, mean-spirited antics by saying, ‘Well, Trump’s just being Trump,’ rather than question his horrible behavior. Some folks think he’s funny.”
“That’s exactly how he got elected the first time — folks gave him a pass and rolled the dice betting that he couldn’t possibly be that bad,” she said.
Two days later, during his own rally in Atlanta, Trump took a moment to attack Mrs. Obama, but Trump made no mention of the “birther” controversy, which he spearheaded to cast doubt on then-President Barack Obama’s birthplace and question his eligibility to serve as president.
Now turning his wrath on the former first lady, Trump seemed to make a veiled suggestion that some form of retribution might be appropriate for her criticisms.
“Shouldn’t be that way,” Trump warned, escalating the tension with Michelle Obama. “That was a big mistake that she made.”
Trump’s critics on social media interpreted the former president’s remarks as a potential threat, more so than a deflection from Michelle Obama’s critique of his leadership.
On X, the Republicans Against Trump group asked, “Is that a threat?”
Numerous voices on the platform defended Michelle Obama and slammed Trump for his repeated attacks against women.
“Michelle treated you the way every decent American should treat you,” one user wrote. “And then you go on to threaten her and call her names because you are a giant wimp of a man.”
The Harris campaign described Trump’s rally speech as an “unhinged rant.”
The same day, Trump complained on Truth Social that he saw a political ad on Fox News Channel showing the former first lady expressing support for Harris. He also indicated that he was upset because Fox News did not limit its political coverage to interviews with his surrogates.
“FoxNews spends far too much time promoting the Democrats, their surrogates, and their agenda,” Trump wrote in his latest rant on Truth Social, claiming the network was suppressing his campaign ads. “Today I watched, over and over again, an angry and totally out of control Michelle Obama trying to save the dying Campaign of Comrade Kamala Harris.”
Fox News played a crucial role in boosting Trump’s rise to the presidency in 2016, providing him with favorable coverage and extensive airtime that built a strong connection with its conservative audience. This relationship held steady throughout his term, with Fox News being one of the few major networks to consistently defend Trump amid various controversies and political battles.
However, since Trump’s 2020 defeat, the dynamic has shifted, with Trump becoming increasingly critical of Fox News, its personalities, and its owner, Rupert Murdoch, as Trump feels the network has turned the page on him after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, for which Trump still faces federal charges.
Trump also asserted on Truth Social that he had received significant support from various demographics in Michigan and criticized Fox News for not showcasing the polls that Trump claims showed him leading “by a lot.”
“I’m leading in Michigan, by a lot, because of great support from Autoworkers, Arab Americans, Jewish Americans, and all other Patriots—But Fox refuses to put up those polls,” Trump wrote.
He then expressed frustration that Fox News had prioritized negative ads and commercials for the Harris camp, claiming that negotiating for ad placements on Fox News is a challenge compared to networks like CNN, where he feels his content is accepted without demands for alterations.
“Fox also plays more negative commercials and ads promoting the other side than is even imaginable,” Trump complained. “Our ads on FoxNews are always a big deal to negotiate (They want us to change and weaken our content!), but we put them up on CNN and MSDNC with no problems or changes. It’s hard to believe I’m leading by so much!”
Recently, Trump appeared on Fox & Friends right before a purported meeting with owner Murdoch, saying he planned to express his desire for more favorable news coverage.
“I’m gonna tell him something very simple because I can’t talk to anybody else about it: Don’t put on negative commercials for 21 days, don’t put them. And don’t put on the air their horrible people. They come and lie. I’m going to say, ‘Rupert, please do it this way,’” Trump said during the segment. “And then we’re going to have a victory, because I think everyone wants that.”
Previously, Trump also voiced frustration about Democratic surrogates appearing on Fox News since Harris entered the race, taking on challenging interviews with the network’s most abrasive hosts.
Even Harris sat down with Fox News anchor Bret Baier earlier this month after Harris criticized Trump for saying that he might direct the military to deal with “the enemy within” if he is reelected. The subject led to a tense moment in the interview where Harris set Baier straight after he tried to spin the narrative in Trump’s favor by showing an unrelated video clip of Trump denying that he had threatened anyone.
“Bret, I’m sorry, and with all due respect, that clip was not what he has been saying about the enemy within … that’s not what you just showed,” Harris said.
