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Ex-President Trump at a campaign event in Arizona
Photo: REBECCA NOBLE / REUTERS
Former US President Donald Trump can no longer fully count on the support of two influential conservative newspapers for a possible renewed presidential candidacy.
The two newspapers "New York Post" and "Wall Street Journal" from Rupert Murdoch's media empire were long considered well-disposed towards the Republican.
Now, however, the papers are becoming increasingly critical.
The tabloid New York Post, for example, wrote in an editorial on July 22, referring to Trump's behavior during the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, that Trump had proved "unworthy" of becoming the country's leader again.
More important than the question, which has since been examined by a committee, whether Trump incited the riot, is that the ex-president "did not lift a finger" to stop the violence on January 6th.
"WSJ" sees violation of the oath of office
Critical tones were also heard in the Wall Street Journal in an op-ed piece dated July 22.
The statements before the investigative committee on the storming of the Capitol are a reminder that Trump betrayed his supporters.
When Trump took office, he swore an oath to defend the country's constitution.
Trump knew his supporters were marching toward the Capitol, some armed, and had a duty to protect the institution, the paper said.
But the President refused.
He did not call the military and was not concerned for the safety of his deputy, Vice President Mike Pence.
The Journal's conclusion: "Character shows in a crisis and Mr. Pence passed his test on January 6th.
Mr. Trump failed utterly at his.”
Fox News' position has hardly changed so far
According to the Guardian, the Murdoch titles had already criticized Trump's inaction during the storming of the Capitol, but the simultaneous and clear criticism led observers to suspect a general change of course.
"Vanity Fair" recently reported, citing sources close to Murdoch, that the billionaire was a "pragmatic guy", so the print titles would move on.
The situation is less clear at Murdoch's probably most powerful US media company, Trump's long-standing home broadcaster Fox News.
The broadcaster decided last Friday not to broadcast a Trump campaign event in Arizona and instead broadcast an interview with possible Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis.
Trump can probably continue to count on the support of arch-conservative moderators at the station.
For example, Trump loyalist Sean Hannity described the Jan. 6 hearings as “obsessive partisan anti-Trump daubing.”
Hannity doesn't want to know anything about misconduct on the part of the ex-president.
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