Fox News Fails Trump’s Purity Test

Published on: Mon, 05 Oct 2026 18:55:06 GMT
Original Story: Opinion | Trump lashes out at Kaitlan Collins, then wakes up angry at Fox News – Poynter

Well, good morning, Centerpoint Daily readers. Or perhaps, not so good if you happen to be a senior executive at Fox News, or, God forbid, Kaitlan Collins. Because it appears another dawn has broken, and with it, the former guy has once again discovered that not everyone in the world is sufficiently devoted to his personage. Honestly, sometimes I wonder if he starts his day by scrolling through a ‘Who’s Disloyal Today?’ checklist, right after his morning covfefe. This time, the sacred cows that dared to moo out of tune? CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, followed swiftly by the network that usually bends over backward to polish his golden image: Fox News itself. Because *of course*.

The Perennial Purity Test

Our trusty scribes at Poynter, bless their fact-checking hearts, laid out the latest saga in the Trumpian quest for absolute fealty. It all kicked off, as these things often do, with an interview. Specifically, a CNN interview between Kaitlan Collins and Donald J. Trump. Now, anyone who’s ever witnessed a Trump interview knows it’s less a conversation and more a verbal wrestling match, often ending with the interviewer being declared a “nasty person” or an “enemy of the people.” Collins, to her credit, pressed him on some rather inconvenient truths, like his past statements about classified documents. And, predictably, the former President didn’t much care for being, you know, *questioned*.

The Collins Conundrum

The immediate fallout was precisely what you’d expect from a man whose political brand thrives on perceived victimhood and retaliatory strikes. Trump, never one to let a slight, real or imagined, go unpunished, took to his personal social media platform to air his grievances. Collins was, naturally, “nasty” and “fake news,” the usual boilerplate denunciations. But here’s where it gets *chef’s kiss* interesting. The wrath didn’t stop at the intrepid CNN reporter. Oh no, that would be far too predictable, too pedestrian. The anger, like an unchecked wildfire, spread.

Fox News: From Favorite Son to Foe?

According to the Poynter report, the former President then woke up the next morning, still seething, and decided to turn his ire towards the very network that has, for years, served as his most reliable echo chamber. Fox News. The alleged sin? Apparently, they weren’t sufficiently outraged on his behalf. Or perhaps, they didn’t sufficiently bash Collins. Or maybe, just maybe, they aired a clip of the interview that, in his estimation, didn’t portray him in the most flattering light. The exact transgression is often less important than the simple fact that someone, somewhere, dared to not be 100% on board with the narrative he was meticulously crafting in his mind.

This isn’t just about a bad mood, folks. This is a recurring, deeply ingrained pattern. It’s the ultimate loyalty test, a political version of a purity ring that everyone, eventually, fails. From former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who committed the cardinal sin of recusing himself from the Russia investigation, to former Vice President Mike Pence, who dared to uphold the Constitution on January 6th, the list of those who have fallen from Trump’s good graces is longer than my to-do list after a three-day weekend. And now, Fox News finds itself, once again, in the digital pillory.

A History of Unwavering… Until It Wasn’t

The sheer irony of Trump’s current animosity towards Fox News is almost enough to make my burnt-out Millennial heart grow three sizes. There was a time, not so long ago, when Fox News wasn’t just *a* news channel to Donald Trump; it was *the* news channel. It was his morning paper, his evening recap, his preferred venue for softball interviews and unwavering support. He practically live-tweeted their programming, often praising them as “the only fair news” or “the best.”

The Shifting Sands of Loyalty

Think back to, say, **2018**. During the tumultuous early years of his presidency, Trump was effusive in his praise for Fox News. He regularly lauded their prime-time lineup, singled out hosts like Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson for their “great” coverage, and frequently used their segments to validate his own policies and attacks on rivals. In fact, in June 2018, he famously tweeted, “Fox News is doing a much better job for our country than CNN or MSNBC. They are the only ones who are putting out the truth. They are fantastic!” He saw them as allies, as defenders, as the lone voice of reason in a media landscape he declared “fake news.” His loyalty to Fox, at that time, seemed absolute, and conversely, he expected theirs to be equally unwavering. He was a constant guest, a tireless promoter, a true believer in the network’s mission – or rather, its mission to promote *him*.

But then, something shifted. The first cracks appeared when Fox started to, shall we say, occasionally deviate from the script. The true unraveling, however, began in earnest in **November 2020**, when Fox News, against his fervent wishes, became one of the first networks to call Arizona for Joe Biden on election night. That act of journalistic independence, or perhaps, just basic math, was unforgivable. From that moment on, Fox went from being “fantastic” and “truth-tellers” to a network that was “not the same,” “terrible,” and “full of Never Trumpers.” The loyalty, once perceived as absolute, had been found wanting. Their crime? Reporting the news, even when it wasn’t the news he wanted to hear. The audacity!

The Broader Implications of Perpetual Grievance

This isn’t just a petty spat between a former President and a news network. It’s a textbook example of “The Loyalty Test” in action, and it has profound implications for political discourse, journalistic independence, and the very concept of objective reality. When the metric for “good” media coverage isn’t accuracy or fairness, but rather how enthusiastically it parrots a singular viewpoint, then we’re well past the point of healthy debate. We’re in the realm of state-controlled messaging, where dissent, even mild disagreement, is met with swift and brutal condemnation.

What Does “Loyalty” Even Mean Anymore?

For Trump, loyalty isn’t a two-way street; it’s a one-way highway leading directly to him. It’s not about shared principles or common goals; it’s about unquestioning personal devotion. Any deviation, any perceived slight, any moment where an individual or an institution prioritizes facts or their own integrity over his immediate satisfaction, is a betrayal. And in the world of Trump, betrayal is the unforgivable sin. It’s why he turns on his closest allies, his own appointees, and now, even the media outlets that once served as his most ardent cheerleaders. Because if you’re not 100% with him, you’re 100% against him. There is no middle ground, no nuance, no room for independent thought.

This constant need for affirmation, this insatiable hunger for loyalty, creates a chilling effect. It pressures media outlets to toe a line, to self-censor, to avoid anything that might trigger the next public lashing. It tells politicians that their careers depend not on their effectiveness or their adherence to their oath, but on their unwavering devotion to one man. It’s exhausting, it’s destructive, and frankly, it’s just another Monday in the grand circus of modern American politics.

Snarky Takeaway

So, there you have it. Another day, another episode of “As the Trump Turns.” Fox News, once the golden child, now finds itself in the doghouse for the grievous sin of… existing while Trump is feeling grumpy. Let’s all just take a deep breath, remember that journalistic independence (however imperfectly executed) is still a thing worth fighting for, and perhaps stock up on popcorn. Because if history is any indication, this particular loyalty test is far from over. And honestly, my corporate burnout brain just can’t keep up with who’s in and who’s out this week.