Donald Trump Says Kamala Harris’ Campaign ‘Virtually Owns’ Fox News

Former President Donald Trump has accused Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign of having an outsized influence on Fox News.
The network announced on Monday that the vice president agreed to sit for a prerecorded interview with chief political anchor Bret Baier, scheduled to air on October 16.
In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump criticized Fox News for what he perceives as disproportionate airtime given to Harris campaign representatives.
He specifically singled out Ian Sams, Harris’ senior advisor, claiming that Sams “virtually owns the Network.” Trump also accused Fox News of featuring numerous “Harris Radical Left Democrat mouthpieces” throughout its programming.
Newsweek reached out to Trump and Harris’ campaigns via email for comment on Monday.
In response to Trump’s criticism, Sams addressed the former president directly on the network: “It’s been a month since Donald Trump did a mainstream media interview. We have got to wonder why,” Sams stated.
Trump appeared on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures this weekend for a pretaped interview with Maria Bartiromo.
Sams also raised questions about Trump’s health: “We called on Trump this weekend to release his medical records,” he said. “His team is insisting everything is fine, and there’s nothing to see, but if that’s true, why not just put them out?”
Trump’s statement comes as Harris appears to be widening her media presence with just weeks to the presidential election. She has previously avoided Fox News.
Recent appearances include interviews on 60 Minutes, The Howard Stern Show, and the Call Her Daddy podcast, demonstrating an effort to reach diverse audiences.
The Harris campaign’s outreach and expanding media footprint hope to make a dent among potential voters. A new national survey shows a significant shift in the 2024 presidential race, with Trump erasing Harris’ previous lead.
An NBC News survey released on Sunday shows an increasingly tightening contest as Election Day approaches. The poll, conducted from October 4 to 8, reveals a statistical tie between the two candidates.
Both Trump and Harris garnered 48 percent support among registered voters, marking a notable change from the September poll by the same organization.
However, this latest result represents a 4-point increase for Trump and a 1-point decrease for Harris compared to the previous month. A poll conducted from September 13 to 17 showed that Harris was leading 49 percent to Trump’s 44 percent, giving her a 5-point advantage.
While Harris had maintained a slim lead in many national polls over the past few months, this new data suggests a more competitive race than previously indicated.
The October and September polls surveyed 1,000 registered voters nationwide, carrying a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
Harris is also scheduled to participate in a CNN town hall on October 23, moderated by Anderson Cooper.
Update 10/14/24, 6:19 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.