Trump Slams Fox News Over Midterm Coverage, Says Network Could Cost GOP the Election

Introduction

President Donald Trump escalated his long-running feud with Fox News on Monday, October 26, 2026, accusing the network of giving too much airtime to the opponents of Republican candidates and warning that its coverage could cost the Republican Party crucial victories in the November 3 midterm elections.

In a sharply worded post on Truth Social, reported by Newsmax on October 26, Trump said Fox News was spending "far too much time" putting Republican candidates' opponents on air while failing to give enough attention to what he described as the party's message and his administration's accomplishments. The post landed eight days before Election Day, at a moment when Republicans are defending narrow majorities in both chambers of Congress and when Trump himself has become the central figure of the midterm campaign.

This article sets out what Trump actually wrote, how the latest post fits into a month of public complaints about Fox News, what senior figures around the president have said, and what remains unknown — including whether Fox News has responded to this latest criticism. It does not treat Trump's claim that the race is close only because of media coverage as an established fact; that is his argument, reported here as his argument, and the polling picture is more complicated than any single claim about television coverage.

What Trump Wrote

Newsmax quoted Trump's Truth Social post in full on the central complaint. Trump wrote:

"FoxNews is spending far too much time putting on the OPPONENTS of Republican Party Candidates, people that love our Country, and have Great Policies and Ideas," Trump wrote.

"These American Patriots are being absolutely 'blurred out' by the Media, and Fox is doing little to help. That's the only reason this Race is close, if it is indeed close."

Two parts of that post deserve attention. First, Trump framed the Republican candidates themselves as patriots with strong policies, and their opponents as the beneficiaries of excessive coverage. Second, he added a qualifier — "if it is indeed close" — that left open whether he believes the race is actually close at all. Newsmax's headline drew out the sharper implication of the post: that Trump believes Fox News coverage could cost the GOP the election.

The post is the latest in a series of Truth Social messages in which Trump has treated media coverage not as background noise but as a campaign variable in its own right. In his telling, Republican candidates are not struggling because of policy, the economy, or his own approval ratings, but because voters are not seeing enough of them — and are seeing too much of their opponents. That argument has been a recurring theme of his midterm campaign messaging, and it has grown more pointed as Election Day has approached.

A Second Post: Praise for Newsmax

In a separate Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump praised a Newsmax personality, a contrast that Newsmax itself highlighted in its report. Trump wrote:

"Rob Carson's WHAT IN THE WORLD, on NEWSMAX, is very cool. A certain street smarts quality about it! Keep pushing Rob!"

The praise matters because it shows the other side of Trump's media strategy. As he has stepped up his criticism of Fox News, he has increasingly praised Newsmax, a smaller conservative network that has positioned itself as an alternative for viewers dissatisfied with Fox. Newsmax noted in its report that Trump has "increasingly praised rival network Newsmax" while criticizing Fox's editorial decisions.

The pattern is not new. Trump has a long history of rewarding networks he believes treat him fairly and punishing those he believes do not, and the midterm campaign has given that pattern a sharper edge: with control of Congress at stake, the president is publicly grading the coverage of the network that was once widely regarded as his most reliable television ally.

Why This Fight Is Not New

Trump's complaints about Fox News did not begin on October 26. They have built up across the whole month of October, and each round has added a new grievance.

Earlier in October, Trump criticized Fox News over its interview with Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, questioning why the network was giving a platform to a Democratic contender. Newsmax's October 26 report recalled that episode, noting that Trump had objected to the network providing a platform to a Democrat in a race where Trump is backing Republican Mike Rogers.

On October 4, according to reporting from that period, Trump complained that Fox had failed to adequately cover his rallies in Ohio, Alabama, Texas, and Oklahoma. He warned that supporters would stop watching if the network did not focus more on those events. The complaint was about rally coverage specifically: Trump argued that packed, enthusiastic rallies were being ignored while other stories took their place.

On October 19, Trump escalated again. In a Truth Social post that morning, he accused Fox News of "defending Dumocrats" and trying "too hard to be Politically Correct," and he urged supporters to watch his Wichita, Kansas, rally on Right Side Broadcasting Network (RSBN) instead. That post, reported by StateLine Daily and The CrossWire Daily, was explicitly tied to the Kansas rally for Senator Roger Marshall, and it named two more interviews that had angered him: the El-Sayed interview and an interview with independent Nebraska candidate Dan Osborn, who is challenging Republican Senator Pete Ricketts.

The October 19 post also continued a theme from September, when Trump asked why Fox regularly featured Democratic leaders such as Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, along with liberal commentator Jessica Tarlov. In his telling, those voices received more airtime than pro-Republican guests.

Taken together, the October complaints fall into three buckets: rally coverage (are Trump's events being shown?), guest selection (are Democrats and independents getting too much time?), and commentary (is the network's analysis too hostile to Trump and his candidates?). The October 26 post is mostly about the second bucket — opponents getting airtime — but it draws force from all three.

The Navarro Factor

Trump is not the only senior figure in his orbit criticizing Fox News. Newsmax's October 26 report singled out White House trade adviser Peter Navarro as one of the network's most outspoken critics inside the administration.

According to Newsmax, Navarro has publicly questioned Fox's commitment to conservative viewers and urged administration officials not to appear on its programs. He has encouraged conservatives to watch Newsmax instead. In recent remarks and media appearances, Navarro has criticized what he views as a steady stream of anti-Trump commentary across Fox News and Fox Business, and his objections have extended beyond individual interviews to what he describes as a broader editorial problem at the network.

Navarro's role matters because it suggests the criticism is not only a personal presidential grievance but a coordinated message from within the administration. When a White House adviser tells officials not to appear on a network, that is a practical pressure tactic, not just a social media post. It also raises the stakes for Fox: losing administration guests would itself change the network's coverage, creating a feedback loop in which criticism leads to fewer appearances, which leads to more criticism.

The dispute has also drawn attention to the treatment of Fox Business personality Maria Bartiromo, whose reporting and interviews have long made her a prominent voice among Trump supporters. CNN reported on October 8 that Bartiromo had shared internal network guidance with Trump aide Peter Navarro, who then passed it to the White House, and that she was subsequently removed as a longtime anchor. According to CNN's account, the internal guidance told Fox Business shows to avoid covering a prime-time Trump speech full of unverified claims about election vulnerabilities. The episode illustrates how closely the Trump-Fox relationship has become entangled with internal network decisions — and why both sides now treat coverage choices as political acts.

What Is at Stake on November 3

Trump's warning that Fox coverage could cost the GOP the election only makes sense in the context of how close the fight for Congress is. Every seat in the U.S. House of Representatives is on the ballot on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, along with 35 Senate seats — 33 regular seats plus special elections in Florida and Ohio.

Republicans currently hold the House by 218 seats to 214 for Democrats, with two vacancies, and the Senate by 53 seats to 47, counting the two independents who caucus with Democrats as part of the Democratic total in most counts. In the Senate, Democrats need 17 of the 35 seats up for election to reach 51, while Republicans need 19 to reach 50 — enough, because the vice president breaks a 50-50 tie.

Polling and forecasting have generally favored Democrats in the House race, with the generic congressional ballot showing Democrats ahead — Reuters/Ipsos put the Democratic lead at 47% to 35% among registered voters in its latest poll cited in recent coverage — while the Senate race has been described as much closer. Prediction markets have also favored Democrats in both chambers, though those are market prices, not votes, and they move daily.

Trump's own approval rating is part of the backdrop. Reuters/Ipsos put it at 31% in its latest poll, a record low in that survey, and other polls have put it in the low-to-mid 30s. Trump has argued that his support among his own base remains strong — in a Truth Social video post on October 25, he cited figures showing 98% of the MAGA Republican voters who backed him in 2024 saying they would vote for House Republican candidates — but the national picture is less favorable to Republicans than the base picture.

None of this proves or disproves Trump's claim about Fox News. Television coverage is one influence among many — the economy, gas prices, the ongoing war with Iran, healthcare costs, and the candidates themselves all shape votes. What can be said is that Trump believes coverage matters enough to make it a closing argument of his midterm campaign, and that he is willing to blame a friendly network publicly if Republicans fall short.

Has Fox News Responded?

The Newsmax report published on October 26 does not quote a response from Fox News to Trump's latest post. Readers should not assume silence means agreement or disagreement; networks often decline to respond to presidential social media posts, and a response may come later through a statement or through the network's own coverage.

For context, earlier reporting on the October 19 post noted that Fox News had not publicly responded to that message either. CNN's October 8 report on the rally-coverage dispute quoted a person familiar with Fox's inner workings saying there was "no top-down order" to avoid Trump's rallies, and described the chatter about such an order as "uninformed speculation." That is not a response to the October 26 post, and it should not be presented as one — but it does show that Fox, when it has addressed the broader dispute, has pushed back on the idea that its coverage decisions are driven by an anti-Trump directive.

The absence of an immediate response is itself part of the story. Trump has made his criticism public and specific; Fox's choice, so far, has been to let its programming speak for itself. Whether that changes as Election Day approaches — and whether Trump escalates from criticism to a more direct call for viewers to leave — is one of the things to watch in the final eight days.

What Happens Next

Trump's latest attacks suggest his relationship with Fox could become an increasingly important issue as the midterm campaign enters its final stretch, as Newsmax put it. Several things are worth watching.

First, watch whether Trump repeats the criticism at his rallies. A Truth Social post reaches his followers; a rally line reaches television coverage itself, and it forces the networks covering the rally to decide how to handle it. Trump is scheduled to speak in Corinth, Mississippi, on the evening of October 26, and his rallies in the final week will be closely watched for new media criticism.

Second, watch whether other administration officials follow Navarro's lead and reduce their Fox appearances. A visible drop in administration guests on Fox would be a measurable consequence of the feud, beyond the rhetoric.

Third, watch whether Fox's programming changes in any visible way — more rally coverage, different guest lineups, or different framing of the midterm race. Any shift would be hard to attribute to a single cause, but the timing would invite comparison with Trump's complaints.

Fourth, watch the post-election blame game. Trump has already laid the groundwork for an argument that, if Republicans lose, media coverage — and Fox in particular — shares the blame. That argument, win or lose, will shape the Republican Party's internal debate after November 3.

Trump's message to Fox, as Newsmax summarized it, is unmistakable: give Republican candidates more favorable attention, or risk being blamed if they lose. Whether Fox listens, and whether voters care, will be answered in the next eight days — and on Election Night itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Trump say about Fox News on October 26, 2026?

Trump wrote on Truth Social that Fox News was spending "far too much time putting on the OPPONENTS of Republican Party Candidates" and that Republican candidates were being "blurred out" by the media, with Fox doing "little to help." He said that was "the only reason this Race is close, if it is indeed close."

Is this the first time Trump has criticized Fox News during the midterm campaign?

No. He criticized Fox earlier in October over its interview with Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, complained on October 4 about rally coverage in Ohio, Alabama, Texas, and Oklahoma, and on October 19 accused the network of "defending Dumocrats" while urging supporters to watch his Kansas rally on RSBN instead.

What is RSBN, and why did Trump mention it?

RSBN is Right Side Broadcasting Network, a conservative streaming network that carries Trump rallies in full. Trump urged supporters to watch his Wichita, Kansas, rally on RSBN on October 19, presenting it as an alternative to Fox's coverage.

Has Fox News responded to Trump's October 26 post?

The Newsmax report on the post does not quote a response from Fox News. Earlier reporting on the October 19 post also noted no public response from Fox at that time, and CNN's October 8 reporting quoted a person familiar with Fox's operations denying any top-down order to avoid Trump's rallies.

Who is Peter Navarro, and why is he part of this story?

Peter Navarro is a White House trade adviser. Newsmax reported that he has publicly questioned Fox's commitment to conservative viewers, urged administration officials not to appear on its programs, and encouraged conservatives to watch Newsmax instead.

Could Fox News coverage really decide the midterm elections?

That is Trump's argument, not an established fact. Control of Congress will be decided by voters, and many factors — the economy, gas prices, healthcare, the Iran war, candidate quality, and turnout — shape results. Media coverage is one influence among many, and its precise effect in any given race is difficult to isolate.

Sources

• Newsmax, "Trump Slams Fox News Over Midterm Coverage, Says Network Could Cost GOP Election," October 26, 2026.
• StateLine Daily, "Trump Attacks Fox News, Steers Supporters to RSBN," October 19, 2026.
• The CrossWire Daily, "Donald Trump Slams Fox News, Tells MAGA Supporters To Watch RSBN," October 19, 2026.
• CNN, "Fox News is tuning out Trump's rallies. Here's what that means," October 8, 2026.
• GETTR / America First News, October 26, 2026 (post timestamp).