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Peter Navarro Urges Administration to Shun Fox News After Network Joins TV Pool Boycott
By Drooid · · How we work
Call for a Fox News Boycott
Top White House trade adviser Peter Navarro has publicly urged cabinet secretaries, agency heads, White House officials and their surrogates to refrain from appearing on Fox News and its sister channel Fox Business. In a series of social-media posts that accompanied an op-ed, Navarro argued that the network’s decision to join a television-pool boycott in support of three news outlets recently barred from the White House constitutes a “settling of scores” against the president. He called for a coordinated refusal to grant the network any interview slots, suggesting that an on-air apology to the president and his base would be the only appropriate response.
Context of the White House Media Ban
Earlier in the week, President Trump announced a ban on CNN, MSNBC and Politico from the White House, citing alleged national-security concerns raised by the Department of Justice’s legal team. The three outlets responded by filing a First Amendment lawsuit. In reaction, the major broadcast networks that rotate the TV pool covering the president’s daily activities announced that the pool would not accompany the president, a move that Fox News supported alongside ABC, NBC and CBS.
Reactions from Fox and the Justice Department
Fox News, owned by Rupert Murdoch, issued a statement defending its participation in the pool boycott as an act of solidarity with the barred outlets. The network’s spokesperson emphasized that the decision was not intended as a personal attack on the president. Meanwhile, attorneys for the Justice Department have maintained that the banned outlets “endangered national security” with their reporting, contending that the president’s action was justified.
Potential Implications
Navarro’s appeal highlights growing tension between the administration and a major cable news outlet that has historically hosted numerous Trump officials. If a significant portion of the administration follows Navarro’s recommendation, Fox News could lose access to high-level sources, potentially reshaping its coverage of White House affairs. Conversely, the boycott may reinforce the president’s broader strategy of limiting media access to outlets deemed hostile, further polarizing the relationship between the executive branch and the press.