Sean Hannity, a prominent Fox News host and close confidant of President Donald Trump, desperately urged him to stop attacking Fox News in a phone call just weeks before the network settled a defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems in 2023, according to a new book.
The revelation comes from “Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power,” an upcoming book by Axios journalist Alex Isenstadt, which will be released on March 18, 2025. The book details how Hannity pleaded with Trump to end his tirade against the conservative network and its chairman, Rupert Murdoch, during a March 2023 phone call.
“Please do not hit Fox; do not hit the Murdoch family. Just please, for the love of God, please don’t do it,” Hannity said, according to an excerpt of Isenstadt’s book obtained by the Washington Post.
The call came during heightened tension between Trump and Fox News. In early 2023, Trump had launched a series of attacks against the network, accusing it of “collusion” between “MAGA hating” Fox News and his then-chief political rival Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
During the call, Hannity continued his plea to Trump. He reportedly expressed frustration to the president, emphasizing that his attacks on the Murdochs were complicating efforts to assist him with Fox News. Hannity urged him to ease off, suggesting that doing so would benefit both of them and allow for progress toward restoring normalcy.
According to the book, Trump held up his phone so his staffers could hear Hannity’s entreaties and replied: “Sean is trying to do the right thing. But, man, the Murdochs? I don’t know.”
The conversation grew more desperate as Hannity attempted to enlist help from Trump’s campaign team, including Susie Wiles, Trump’s then-campaign manager.
According to a Fox News spokesperson, Wiles stated that President Trump would make decisions based on what he believes is best and fair. Hannity later said he could not recall speaking to Wiles during the conversation. Trump reportedly called Hannity a “good man” and ended the call.
The feud between Trump and Fox News had been building since the 2022 midterm elections. After Republicans underperformed expectations in the midterms, several Fox News commentators began shifting their support toward Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, particularly after his landslide reelection victory.
On November 10, 2022, Fox Business host Stuart Varney stated that Trump belongs to the past, while Fox News Digital described Trump as the “biggest loser” and praised DeSantis as “the new leader of the Republican Party.” Fox News also featured DeSantis prominently on the network, with the Florida governor making at least five live appearances while promoting his book “The Courage to Be Free” in late February 2023.
According to reports, during this same period, Trump experienced what his campaign called a “soft ban” from appearing on the network for roughly six months.
The tensions escalated further when revelations from the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit against Fox News became public. The voting machine company had sued Fox News for $1.6 billion due to claims it made during its coverage of the 2020 election. Court documents revealed that Rupert Murdoch had acknowledged that some Fox News hosts had “endorsed” Trump’s disputed claims about the 2020 election being stolen.
Trump seized on these revelations, attacking Murdoch directly. He warned the media magnate that if Murdoch did not believe the 2020 election was “rigged,” he should “get out of the News Business as soon as possible because they are aiding & abetting the DESTRUCTION OF AMERICA with FAKE NEWS.”
Despite Hannity’s efforts to broker peace, the relationship remained strained throughout much of 2023. In April 2023, Fox News reached a $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems, ending the defamation lawsuit but not immediately healing the rift with Trump.
A significant turning point came in September 2023 when Rupert Murdoch stepped down as the chairman of Fox Corporation and News Corp. While the 92-year-old media mogul would remain as chairman emeritus, his son Lachlan Murdoch took over as sole chairman of News Corp and continued as executive chair and CEO of Fox Corp.
The leadership change provided what many observers described as a “refresh” for the relationship between Trump and the network. By early 2024, the relationship had primarily stabilized, with Trump later praising Murdoch during remarks at the White House, calling him “an amazing guy.”
Though occasional tensions have flared during the 2024 campaign, particularly over Fox News polling and the network’s coverage of his Democratic rival, Trump has rarely attacked the Murdoch-owned network with the same intensity as during the spring of 2023.
