As is well known, Donald Trump has no problem with fake news. Apparently, that only applies if he spreads them himself or if they are at least useful to him. On the other hand, the fact that his former house and yard broadcaster Fox News - in his opinion - spreads false news that makes him look bad goes against the grain of the former US President.
The arch-conservative station of media entrepreneur Rupert Murdoch reports too frequently and too positively about Ron DeSantis, his possible competitor in the fight for the Republican presidential candidacy, Trump complained on his social media platform Truth Social.
"Fox News advertises Ron DeSanctus so heavily and so much that there isn't much time for real news," the 76-year-old railed, turning Santis Sanctus, the Latin word for holy. "The new Fox poll, and they've always been intentionally awful to me, says 'TRUMP crushes DeSanctimonious,' but they hardly show it." Ron DeSanctimonious is Trump's nickname for Florida Governor. Sanctimonious means hypocritical in German.
The behavior of Fox News reminded him of the Republican primary campaign of 2016, when the broadcaster pushed his then competitor Jeb Bush, the ex-president wrote. "Isn't there a big, beautiful network that wants to do its job properly and also wants to make a fortune?" Trump asked, adding in capital letters: "FAKE NEWS!"
With his criticism, Trump was referring to a Fox News poll of registered Republicans published on Sunday, according to which the billionaire led a list of 15 actual and potential candidates for the Republican presidential nomination at 43 percent. DeSantis is far behind in second place with 28 percent.
Trump has repeatedly attacked Fox News in recent months. While a number of moderators still support him there, some have signaled a growing interest in DeSantis. Other media outlets of the Murdoch empire, such as the "New York Post" and the "Wall Street Journal" also distanced themselves from their former darling after the Republican bankruptcy in the midterm elections and turned to DeSantis.
The governor is considered the rising star of Republicans. His re-election last November came with "the highest percentage of votes ever received by a Republican nominee for governor in the history of the State of Florida," as he never tires of emphasizing himself. Many supporters of the Grand Old Party see him as the "better Trump". "He's a smarter version of Trump, he's far more strategic, and he doesn't have a hundred lawsuits on his heels," said one Democratic party strategist.
So far, however, this enthusiasm for DeSantis has only been reflected to a limited extent in the polls. DeSantis easily outperforms all other possible and actual candidates for the Republican nomination - but not Donald Trump. The ex-president has been far ahead of the governor in most surveys for weeks.
Quellen: "The Hill", Real Clear Politics, Fox News, "Huffington Post"
