Fox News Cuts Off Donald Trump During Live Broadcast
Fox News cut off a live broadcast of a
Donald Trump rally in Iowa to correct his "untruths" about the last election.
During a broadcast of Trump's Saturday rally,
Fox anchor Arthel Neville cut away from the former president to clarify that the 2020 election was not rigged, telling viewers that Trump made "many untruths" during his speech.
"The 2020 election was not rigged. It was not stolen," Neville said before adding, "But still, Trump is way ahead in the polls." She then cut over to the dueling Iowa rally held by Florida Gov.
Ron DeSantis, who she described as "the man desperately trying to catch" up to the former president.
Neville's comments came in the wake of the
network's massive $787.5-million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems in April. The voting machine company had sued Fox for defamation over claims it made that its machines were rigged against Trump. Fox is still fighting a separate but similar defamation lawsuit from Smartmatic, a voting technology company that is suing the network for $2.7 billion.
Newsweek has reached out to Trump via email for comment.
Neville has a history of pushing back on Trump's election claims, earning his ire along the way. While in the White House, Trump lashed out at Neville and another weekend anchor on Fox, suggesting that she should be moved off the network and over to
CNN, which he infamously called "fake news."
Neville also fact-checked Trump in September 2021 after the former president reiterated his "rigged election" claims while visiting a New York City Police Department precinct to honor 9/11 first responders.
"He did not miss any opportunities to air grievances, including claiming that the election was rigged, which it was not," Neville said. "It has been proven in court multiple times. It has been proven that the election was not rigged by elected election officials, but it started out on a good note. Former president saying that he grew up with the firefighters [and police officers] because he's from New York and he thanked them for their service."
Neville's Saturday comments received some criticism from Trump supporters, who blasted her as "radical" and described the network as "unwatchable" over her correction. Others, however, praised her for countering Trump's claims.
"This is Great!" anti-Trump commentator Ed Krassenstein wrote in a post on X, formerly
Twitter. "Even
Fox News is now admitting that Trump is a liar and that the 2020 election 'was not rigged' and it was 'not stolen.'"
"I'm glad Americans can finally be unified over the truth. At least some of us," Krassenstein said Monday.
Although once a media ally of the former president, Fox has increasingly distanced itself from Trump, who has likewise attacked the network and its departing chairman
Rupert Murdoch over coverage of him and his campaign.
In September, the network cut away from Trump after he boasted about the interview he did with former Fox anchor
Tucker Carlson, who left Fox in April. Thirteen minutes into his speech when Trump addressed his absence from the first GOP presidential debate, which was hosted by Fox, the network panned back to anchor Martha MacCallum, cutting Trump's comments short.
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