Former President Donald Trump has responded to criticism of his recent Fox News interview, asserting that the network reached out to him for commentary on Vice President Kamala Harris's Democratic National Convention speech.
According to The Hill, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to clarify the circumstances surrounding the controversial phone call.
Trump's statement follows accusations that he rambled during the live interview, which took place immediately following Harris's nomination acceptance speech. The former president maintains that Fox News anchor Bret Baier initiated contact, inviting him to critique the vice president's remarks.
In his Truth Social post, Trump emphasized that he did not initiate the call to Fox News. He stated, "Bret Baier of FoxNews called me, I didn't call him, just prior to the Kamala Convention speech, and asked me if I would like to critique her after she is finished. I agreed to do so!"
This clarification appears to be in response to a New York Times opinion piece by columnist Maureen Dowd, who characterized Trump's call as a "scream-of-consciousness" that lasted for 10 minutes before being abruptly ended by the anchors.
Trump directly addressed Dowd's column, labeling it as "Fake News" and asserting that he doesn't need to make calls to appear on television. He added, "I don't have to make calls to go on TV, or anything else — They call me! It's called Ratings, I guess, and I'm the 'Ratings Machine!'"
The interview in question took place last Thursday, with Trump speaking to Fox News anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. During the call, Trump appeared to accidentally press buttons on his phone while offering his thoughts on Harris's speech.
Reports suggest that the anchors attempted to interject at various points as Trump continued to speak. After approximately 10 minutes, the call was ended, with the anchors citing time constraints as the reason for concluding the interview.
Trump said:
I didn't call other media outlets that asked me to go on, they called me. The Fake News, like often 'gilted' Maureen Dowd of the failing New York Times, wrote incorrectly that I was making the calls. WRONG!!! I don't have to make calls to go on TV, or anything else — They call me! It's called Ratings, I guess, and I'm the 'Ratings Machine!'
In addition to addressing the circumstances of the interview, Trump reiterated his criticism of Vice President Harris's convention speech. He described the speech as "nonspecific and weak," arguing that it failed to address key issues such as fracking, crime, and inflation.
Trump also commented on Harris's delivery, rating it as a "C+" and criticizing what he perceived as "far too many and speedy 'thank you's' at the beginning" of the speech.
The former president's remarks underscore his continued engagement with political discourse and his willingness to offer commentary on his potential opponents in the upcoming election cycle.
The controversy surrounding Trump's Fox News interview highlights the ongoing tensions between the former president and media outlets. Trump's insistence that he was invited to comment on Harris's speech, rather than initiating the call himself, reflects his desire to control the narrative around his media appearances. As the political landscape continues to evolve, such incidents are likely to remain a subject of debate and scrutiny in the lead-up to future elections.
