Fox News faces Trump's wrath over midterm losses and falling ratings

What happened

Donald Trump criticized Fox News in Truth Social posts Tuesday night, blaming its coverage for Republican midterm losses and citing its falling ratings. Fox reported 1.1 million average viewers in October, about 27% below the prior year; CEO Lachlan Murdoch said viewers were fatigued.

Confirmed

Global impact / market context

Fewer viewers can mean fewer chances for Fox to sell advertising, putting pressure on revenue if the decline persists. Murdoch said viewers were watching less television overall rather than switching to rival channels, while the article does not link Trump’s criticism to the audience drop.

Analyst inference

The article presents Fox’s October audience decline alongside Murdoch’s explanation that viewers were watching slightly less television overall, not moving to other news channels. That points to reduced viewing as the stated pressure, rather than evidence that rivals gained Fox’s audience.

Analyst inference

What to watch

1. Watch subsequent Fox audience figures: continued declines would indicate the October weakness persisted and could reduce advertising opportunities; a rebound would suggest the drop was not sustained. Analyst inference
2. Watch for further Fox executive comments on viewer fatigue and overall television use, which may clarify whether management expects lower viewing to continue affecting advertising revenue. Analyst inference
3. Watch whether Trump continues criticizing Fox and whether the network changes its programming; the article reports his complaints but identifies no resulting programming decision or business response. Analyst inference

Evidence

• seekingalpha.com