President Donald Trump criticized Fox News on his social media platform Truth Social following the 2026 midterm election results, which showed significant Democratic victories and losses for the Republican Party. He attributed these GOP setbacks partly to Fox News, accusing the network of favoring Democratic coverage and holding it accountable for the unfavorable outcomes. Trump pointed out that Democrats had flipped key seats in traditionally Republican states such as Texas, South Carolina, and Kansas during this historic election where the party regained control of both chambers of Congress.

Alongside these political commentary, Trump highlighted Fox News' recent drop in viewership ratings, citing a 27% decline in average viewers compared to the previous year. Despite Fox News historically being a staunch supporter of Trump, he blamed the network for devoting excessive airtime to what he called “Trump Deranged Dumocrats.” The network did not offer an immediate response to Trump’s remarks, but its October viewership numbers reflecting the downturn were recently confirmed by a company press release and discussed by CEO Lachlan Murdoch during Fox Corp.’s first-quarter earnings call.

Murdoch attributed the ratings decrease to general "viewer fatigue" typical of midterm election years with an incumbent president, emphasizing that these viewers are not defecting to competitors like MSNBC-owned MS NOW or CNN. Both MS NOW and CNN reported double-digit growth in primetime audiences in October compared to the prior year, although their total daily average viewership remained below Fox News. Despite the ratings slide, Fox Corp. posted an overall strong fiscal quarter with revenues reaching $4.57 billion, driven by increased advertising sales amid major political ad spending and the FIFA Men’s World Cup broadcasts.

Trump, known for his frequent clashes with media outlets he perceives as biased, has usually maintained a more favorable relationship with Fox News. He appeared on the network’s “Hannity” program Monday night ahead of the election, even as his criticism of Fox intensified after the results. Fox Corp.’s combination of political coverage, entertainment, and sports assets has continued to perform strongly in financial terms, despite the challenging viewership trends highlighted in this election cycle.