A Fox News reporter referred to President Biden as a “wannabe dictator” during footage of his remarks from the White House on Tuesday, the same day that former President Donald J. Trump was charged with federal crimes in a Miami court.
The onscreen text appeared at the bottom of a split-screen broadcast showing President Biden and former President Trump speaking from respective podiums at the White House and a Trump golf club in Bedminster, NJ.
“Wannabe dictator speaks at the White House after arresting his political rival,” Kyron read. It did not name Mr. Biden, but the implication was clear.
The alert appeared at the end of the 8 p.m. broadcast of “Fox News Tonight,” a prime-time show recently hosted by Tucker Carlson, a popular nightside host who was dismissed by the network in April. Footage of Mr Biden showed him speaking on the South Lawn of the White House at a holiday event on Tuesday.
The term “wannabe dictator” was also unusually strong for a network that has generally had friendly relations with the Trump White House and has been heavily critical of the Joe Biden administration.
On Tuesday’s edition of “Fox News Tonight”, host Brian Kilmeade also erroneously referred to Mr Trump as “…President of the United Statesbefore he began speaking at his New Jersey club.
Representatives for Fox News did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Mr Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, on Tuesday became the first former president to be charged with federal crimes. He pleaded not guilty to 37 counts related to his handling of classified documents after leaving office and refusing to return them.
later Tuesday after President Biden commented During a White House reception for US diplomats, she declined to answer questions from reporters in the room about Mr Trump’s court appearance.
Several major television networks have refused to broadcast Mr Trump’s speeches live because doing so could give him a platform to spread misinformation. When CNN hosted a town hall with Mr Trump in May, it was roundly criticized by observers, who called the decision to broadcast the event live irresponsible.
Since the 2020 election, Fox News has sometimes distanced itself from Mr. Trump’s speeches or declined to run them. In other cases, like Tuesday, the network has given them prime time slots.
