How Fox News Became a Recruiting Source for the New Trump Administration

US President-elect Donald Trump, a businessman who succeeded through media before politics, has recently relied heavily on the world of reality TV to shape his next administration, especially Fox News, the influential channel that is popular with American conservatives.

Since the beginning of his first election campaign in 2016, Fox News has emerged as a major vehicle for US President Donald Trump to convey his messages and political agenda, greatly influencing the American media landscape during his years in office.

It is worth noting that Fox News’ relationship with Donald Trump is not merely a media relationship, but has become an essential part of his political strategies, which is why Trump has appointed several figures associated with the channel to important positions.

It has been reported that approximately 12 Fox News hosts and contributors have been chosen by Trump to be part of his cabinet, in addition to regular guests appearing on the channel, on which Trump made nearly 20 appearances between August and November.

Trump’s Media Strategy

Since his first campaign in 2016, Donald Trump has been fully aware of the importance of the media in interacting with the American people.

Fox News was the platform where Trump found a free space to convey his ideas and political agenda in a way that suited his popular base.

Trump’s mere appearance on Fox News screens was not a passing matter, but rather part of his media strategy.

The channel gave Trump an opportunity to respond to his critics and communicate directly with his supporters, at a time when the traditional media was directing harsh criticism at him.

This ongoing cooperation with the channel helped shape public policies and opinions about Trump, as well as enhance his image as a man who is not afraid to speak out against traditional media institutions.

Through Fox, Trump was able to shape a public image of himself as a leader who stands up to what he called the liberal media, such as CNN and NBC.

Trump has also often turned to Fox News to clarify his positions on controversial issues or when crises arise.

For example, during the investigations into Russian interference in the US elections, Trump used Fox programs to talk about his innocence and attack the investigations.

This relationship between Trump and Fox helped build a kind of alliance between the two parties, as the channel provided a platform to support the president’s policies, while Trump provided it with content that attracted viewers eager to follow his news.

Sometimes fawning at his praise, sometimes witheringly critical of the broadcaster, Trump is consistently an insatiable viewer of the channel which he quotes at length on social media.

During his first White House term, Trump would invite himself onto the flagship show 'Fox and Friends'.

Fox News Influence

Trump's love for Fox News extends beyond his appearances on its programs to making decisions on cabinet appointments. 

After his re-election, Trump appointed a number of figures associated with the channel to fill key positions in his administration.

Trump’s selection of former Fox News contributor Monica Crowley as chief of protocol at the State Department brings the total number of prospective former Fox News employees in his administration to 12. 

Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense, is a former Fox News host. 

Sean Duffy, Trump’s pick for Transportation Secretary, is co-host of The Bottom Line on Fox Business. 

Mike Huckabee, Trump’s pick to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Israel, had a talk show on Fox News called Huckabee from 2008 to 2015.

Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s choice for Director of National Intelligence, has appeared frequently on Fox News and served as a host. 

Trump also nominated Keith Kellogg, a retired general who regularly appeared on Fox News to provide analysis on national security and military strategy, to be the special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.

Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Trump's pick for US surgeon general, became a contributor at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic and was on Fox News until earlier last month.

Sebastian Gorka, Trump’s pick for senior director for counterterrorism, was a Fox News contributor from 2017 to 2019. 

There’s also Vivek Ramaswamy, whom Trump has tapped to lead the Department of Government Efficiency alongside billionaire Elon Musk. He was recently tapped to host a 5-part series called ‘Truths With Vivek Ramaswamy’ on Fox Nation.

Mike Waltz, Trump’s pick for national security adviser, has contributed to Fox News. 

Tom Homan, Trump’s pick for border czar, was a Fox News on-air contributor. 

Trump also tapped Kimberly Guilfoyle for US ambassador to Greece. Guilfoyle is also a former Fox News personality from her stint on the roundtable talk show The Five.

Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s pick for White House press secretary and the youngest person tapped for the position, interned at Fox News while in school.

Pam Bondi, Trump’s pick for US Attorney General, co-hosted The Five on Fox News in August 2018. 

Other Trump cabinet picks that have been frequent Fox News guests include South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (Homeland Security Secretary), Dr. Mehmet Oz (Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid), Matthew Whitaker (Ambassador to NATO), and Marty Makary (Food and Drug Administration).

When asked why he nominated so many Fox News employees, Trump transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said that “he was elected with a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail — and his Cabinet picks reflect his priority to put America First.”

Political Power

In contrast, Left-leaning industry monitor Media Matters for America criticized the revolving door between Fox News, part of mogul Rupert Murdoch's sprawling empire, and the White House. 

“It says that Fox News has a great deal of influence — it is a network that supports him to the fullest. It functioned during his administration as a kind of state TV outlet that was constantly praising him and attacking his enemies,” said Matthew Gertz, a MediaMatters senior fellow.

“Trump is a creature of the media - he's existed in tabloid media since the 1980s. His claim to fame was his reality show on network TV 'The Apprentice'. He was successful at constructing himself on TV as a successful businessman and leader,” said Reece Peck, author of 'Fox Populism'.

“The lesson Trump takes from this is that media power is political power. I don't think there's ever been a politician in American history that follows that philosophy more than Trump,” he added.

OANN, Newsmax, and X are fighting for their own share of the billion-dollar media pie in an increasingly polarized and fractured media ecosystem.

Even so, Fox News has still become the undisputed vector for Trumpism: the great replacement theory, election denialism, and attacks against Trump’s Democratic rivals were and still are mainstays of its programming.

Murdoch’s global media empire, which already generated more than $3 billion in revenue in the fourth quarter of 2024, is sure to benefit greatly from its open loyalty to Trump.