Startling new court documents have exposed the fractured relationship between Fox News and Donald Trump during the critical 2020 election period, revealing that network executives threatened to ban the then-president from their airwaves if he continued his attacks.
The "Golden Rule" Ultimatum
According to thousands of documents released Sunday as part of the massive defamation lawsuit filed by voting technology company Smartmatic, Fox Corp chief executive Lachlan Murdoch delivered a stark warning to star host Sean Hannity on 1 October 2020. In a text chain that also included his father Rupert Murdoch and Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott, Lachlan Murdoch stated unequivocally: "Sean, sorry, but the president is not coming back on air if he uses it to attack us."
Murdoch emphasised this was "the same rule we have with the other side" and described it as a "golden rule". The message was signed simply "Thx L." This ultimatum came despite Trump having appeared on Hannity's show that very day, where he complained that Fox was "a much different place than it used to be".
Post-Election Tensions Escalate
The situation deteriorated dramatically after the November 2020 presidential election, when Fox News faced intense backlash from Trump supporters over its early call of Arizona for Joe Biden. Internal communications show network executives grappling with an existential crisis as their core audience turned against them.
In a stark admission, Hannity texted a producer: "Trump people hate Fox. Hate hate hate." The documents reveal that while Fox publicly stood behind its Arizona call, internal discussions showed uncertainty. In a 6 November 2020 email, Suzanne Scott noted that Lachlan Murdoch had suggested Fox should consider reversing its Arizona call if Biden's margin fell below 1%, though she added "I'm not recommending we do that at this time."
Business Impact and Internal Concerns
The released documents include previously unreported emails between Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch that highlight their growing concerns about the network's declining audience numbers and reputation.
In a 23 November 2020 email, Rupert Murdoch wrote to his son: "Getting killed in audience numbers. All day long. We have to keep our nerve but worth a discussion. Won't hurt subscriber revenue, but will soon cut into [advertisements]." Lachlan responded that the situation was "keeping me awake at night" and agreed to discuss the matter the following morning.
By January 2021, the elder Murdoch was still facing criticism, writing on 21 January that people were "saying leading voices encouraged stolen election bullshit and pushed Jan 6 rally." In the same email thread, he advocated for removing business network host Lou Dobbs from air immediately, writing "Just take him off the air and negotiate later." Dobbs's show was cancelled the following month.
Contradictory Testimonies Emerge
The document trove includes depositions from both Murdochs that reveal contradictory positions regarding Fox News's coverage of election fraud claims. When asked by a Smartmatic lawyer whether he took steps to ensure hosts didn't endorse stolen election claims, Rupert Murdoch responded simply: "No. No."
However, he acknowledged that Fox News made a decision to "pivot" after the election by "moving away from our support of Trump", while admitting the difficulty given that "our very large audience tended to be Trump supporters".
In his own deposition, Lachlan Murdoch defended Fox's coverage, stating he didn't believe the network did anything to "endorse" election fraud claims. "I can't imagine a more newsworthy story than the sitting president of the United States calling into question the election results," he argued.
The legal battle continues to unfold, with both parties tentatively scheduled to argue their case for summary judgement next month. Fox News had attempted to delay the trial pending a criminal case against Smartmatic in the Philippines, but that effort was denied on Monday.
