So maybe his next big opportunity is DTTV (Donald Trump Television)?
President Donald Trump’s hopes for reelection now likely hinge on winning through court decisions. But when he’s done with the courts, Trump may ultimately decide to head up a news network.
According to John Santucci, a senior producer at ABC News, Trump is angry, perhaps terminally, with Fox News – especially in light of Fox’s early call of Arizona for Biden on Election Night – and he could very well aim to lure Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson and others at Fox to a new Trump network.
Hannity and Carlson are the first and second biggest draws in news media, respectively, and would not come cheaply. In Brian Stelter’s book Hoax, he reports Carlson makes around $10 million a year and Hannity $30 million. Other reports have said Hannity’s salary is lower than that.
Trump complained to Rush Limbaugh last month: “You watch this Fox, and it is a whole different ballgame. And you know Paul Ryan is on the board of Fox. … When Roger Ailes ran Fox, I mean Roger had a very strong point of view that is totally gone, and I think it is influenced by Paul Ryan.”
After Fox’s Arizona call for Biden, according to Vanity Fair, Trump called owner Rupert Murdoch to “scream about the call and demand a retraction.” There was no retraction.
It’s natural to expect Trump to seek full control, though it’s uncertain whether he’d prefer creating a new network or buying a competitor, such as One America News Network (OANN).
Trump has clashed, of course, with other news organizations.
In October 2019, Trump attacked CNN International. Trump called the network “so bad” and a “terrible thing for our country.”
“We ought to start our own network and put some real news out there,” Trump said at the time.
In addition to Hannity and Carlson, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany is a consideration to have a strong future in media.
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