by JUSTIN PETERS, NITISH PAHWA, & BEN MATHIS-LILLEY
What does a viewer of the network see in one day?
This is part of Sly as Fox, a short series about the perils of underestimating Fox News in 2024.
In the wake of historic lawsuits, Rupert Murdoch’s exit, Tucker Carlson’s firing, and more, it might seem like Fox News is in retreat. It isn’t—and the people who are likely to decide the next election tend to watch the network. Below, a 24-hour diary of what they’re hearing on a typical day: in this case, May 9, the day Stormy Daniels was cross-examined in Donald Trump’s trial.
5:27 a.m. “Stormy Daniels will be back on the witness stand today, where she is reportedly expected to face a longer cross-examination” is Fox & Friends First co-host Todd Piro’s lead-in to the story of the day. After establishing the topic, Piro transitions to an interview segment with Gene Hamilton, the vice president of America First Legal, a Stephen Miller–fronted group intent on opposing “the radical left’s anti-jobs, anti-freedom, anti-faith, anti-borders, anti-police, and anti-American crusade.”
“Gene, as to this longer cross-examination—makes sense to me. A longer cross gives Stormy Daniels more time to self-destruct on the stand,” says Piro, a former lawyer. “Bad for the prosecution, great for the defense. Your thoughts?”
“You’re absolutely right, Todd,” says Hamilton. “That is exactly the purpose of an effective cross-examination. You have to undermine the witness’s credibility and show to the jury that what she is saying might in fact not be true.” An informative observation! Alas, I cannot tell you much more about the substance of this segment, because I got distracted by an unfortunately placed lighting fixture in Hamilton’s background, which made it look like there were antennae sprouting from his head.
5:42 a.m. Piro’s co-host Carley Shimkus is joined by Republican Rep. Joe “You Lie!” Wilson, best known for interrupting a 2009 Barack Obama speech with the aforementioned blurt, and I cannot help thinking that this is a man who missed his moment. If the South Carolinian had timed his outburst to coincide with the peak conservative wingnut era, “You Lie!” would’ve been on T-shirts, and he would’ve immediately become a right-wing social media icon. Instead, he’s stuck doing live hits before sunrise with the Fox News C-team. So what is Wilson outraged about this morning? Joe Biden’s immigration policies, of course. “What they’re proposing, really, is a fraud,” says Wilson, and it doesn’t really have the same ring to it as his first catchphrase. I guess some people peak early!
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