Podcast #131 - Post Debate Meltdown Fox News Blames the Refs

Last week on Fox the term misinformation became a code word for a crackdown on free speech while Vice President Kamala Harris was vilified for not doing enough and for doing too much to help hurricane victims. Kayleigh McEnany’s friend might have met a Black person, Melania Trump was pushing her merch on ‘The Five,’ while Jessica Tarlov revealed Trump’s ‘God Bless the USA Bibles’ were printed in China. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe

Fox News decided to lean into the skid and scare the bejeezus out of its audience with a combination of the longshoreman strike, increased violence in the Middle East and the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Late in the week Donald J. Trump told multiple lies about the federal response to the hurricane that Fox News hosts were happy to amplify. Sean Hannity mentioned lies about FEMA over 50 times in two days. Greg Gutfeld pretended he was an expert on climate change and a Harris supporter snuck into a Breakfast with Friends segment on Fox & Friends. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe

I start with “The Igraham Angle,” and pull clips from every show until “Fox News at Nigh.” Everyone on Fox was deeply concerned that the moderators fact checked Sen. J.D. Vance. Sean Hannity was obsessed with sexual change surgeries. Dana Perino and Harold Ford Jr. dropped some truth bombs and Jesse Watters focused on masculinity. It was a wild ride of rightwing propaganda. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe

When Fox News doesn’t like reality it makes up its own. Fox News hosts pretended Kamala Harris was tanking in the polls when she’s actually gaining more ground on Trump. Fox also ignored the easily verifiable timeline associated with the criminal indictment surrounding New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The FBI started investigating Adams two years before the mayor started feuding with President Biden. Fox also gave up an hour of its airtime for Trump to use as a platform for his campaign. Jesse Watters compared Kamala Harris to an actual infant. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe

Fox made a dramatic pivot from trashing Kamala Harris to promoting Donald J. Trump. The network also obsessively covered the second assassination attempt on the former president. Fox hosts complained about heated rhetoric while ignoring Trump’s inflammatory words. The network also featured a lot of Trump including him on a n episode of “Gutfeld,” and giving away it’s primetime coverage to show a live feed of a Trump rally in Long Island, NY. Laura Ingraham whipped up fear about Haitian immigrants while Lawrence Jones claims there was no racial aspects to their harassment. Fox & Friends tried to make it seem like the recent interest rate cut by the Fed was a bad thing. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe

Fox News hosts blamed ABC and the moderators for Trump’s disastrous performance in the last presidential debate. Trump called into “Fox & Friends,” and threatened to revoke ABC’s broadcasting license. The cast of The Five melted down two days in a row. Sean Hannity tried to terrify his audience while lying about positive economic data. The network also got major milage out of a comment Sen. Bernie Sanders made on “Meet the Press.” This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe

The folks at Fox desperately tried to spin Trump’s disastrous debate performance. Dana Perino and Brit Hume openly admitted that Trump had a bad night. Laura Ingraham, Jesse Watters and Sean Hannity refused to accept reality. It was a night of dashed expectations, delusions and broken dreams for Fox News. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe

Plastic straws! Fake accents! Non-existent bans on fracking! A local Fox News affiliate debunked its parent company! Nebraska Walzes for Trump haven’t even met Tim Walz! Fox News hosts pretended Kamala Harris has plummeted in the polls even when she hadn’t. Jesse Watters bragged about sounding like Russian propaganda. Vladimir Putin would be so Proud. Steve Doocy repeats a hateful myth about American Muslims and Pete Hegseth was shocked when an Israeli American said that Israelis want a return of every hostage, and end to the conflict and the end of Benjamin Netanyahu’s failed strategy. I threw in a silly impression at the very end. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe

A video breakdown of Trump’s last town hall on “Hannity,” on September 4, 2024. Juliet Jeske of Decoding Fox News breaks down Trump’s incoherent ramblings. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe

Fox News was desperate for some kind of scandal to help boost Trump’s presidential campaign. Fox tried to boost RFK Jr.’s endorsement of Trump, Mark Zuckerberg wrote a letter to Jim Jordan, Kamala Harris had an interview with her running mate, Joe Biden somehow controlled Trump’s DOJ, and finally Kamala Harris stranded astronauts in space. Absolutely nothing stuck but that wasn’t going to stop anyone at Fox from insisting all of these stories were life and death important. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe