President-elect Donald Trump unleashed a furious attack on Fox News after the conservative network featured Peter Schiff on “Fox & Friends Weekend,” where he delivered a harsh assessment of economic conditions under Trump’s incoming administration. The appearance on Saturday, December 6 sparked immediate backlash from Trump, who questioned the network’s loyalty and demanded answers about who booked the guest.
“Why would Fox and Friends Weekend (of all things?) put on a ‘Stockbroker’ named Peter Schiff, a Trump hating loser who has already proven to be wrong,” Trump posted on Truth Social after the broadcast. “Either the show made a mistake, or it is heading in a different direction,” the president continued in his post.
During his appearance on the Fox News program, Schiff criticized the Trump economy on air. He told hosts Griff Jenkins, Rachel Campos-Duffy and Charlie Hurt that inflation will accelerate. Trump’s rage extended beyond attacking Schiff directly, with the president directing attention to the Fox News staff member responsible for booking guests.
The confrontation did not end with Trump’s social media outburst. Schiff quickly responded, challenging Trump to debate. The economist framed the challenge as an opportunity for Trump to prove his claims if Schiff was indeed as wrong as the president alleged.
The controversy comes at a time when Fox News announced months earlier, in July, that Charlie Kirk would guest host “Fox & Friends Weekend,” marking a notable development in the network’s programming strategy. Kirk, who founded Turning Point USA, was confirmed by a Fox News spokesperson to join the show. The 31-year-old conservative activist announced the hosting gig on Instagram, saying he would appear alongside Campos-Duffy and Hurt on the weekend program.
Kirk’s selection as guest host represents Fox News’ effort to connect with younger conservative audiences. The decision came after Kirk’s organization hosted a conference in Florida, which featured prominent conservative voices like Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly. However, Kirk’s relationship with Fox News has experienced turbulence in the past, particularly after the network ousted Carlson in 2023.
The network’s programming choices occur against the backdrop of broader tensions within conservative media. Trump sued the Wall Street Journal and its owner Rupert Murdoch, who also owns Fox News. Kirk himself criticized a Wall Street Journal story and later said he was done talking about Epstein.
Fox News finds itself navigating complex relationships with both Trump and the broader conservative media ecosystem. The network shares common ownership with the Wall Street Journal through Murdoch’s media empire, creating potential conflicts when Trump targets one Murdoch property while maintaining relationships with another. This dynamic became particularly apparent when conservative activists and media personalities began questioning Fox’s coverage decisions and editorial independence.
The Schiff incident highlights ongoing tensions about who gets airtime on conservative media platforms and what narratives they present. Trump’s reaction suggests he expects friendly treatment from Fox News and views critical economic assessments as betrayals rather than legitimate analysis. His specific targeting of the booking staff member indicates frustration with the network’s editorial decisions at the production level, not just disagreement with on-air content.
For Fox News, balancing journalistic credibility with maintaining access to Republican leadership represents an ongoing challenge. The network built its success partly on providing favorable coverage to conservative politicians, but also on presenting itself as a legitimate news organization that features diverse viewpoints. The Schiff booking and subsequent fallout demonstrate the difficulty of maintaining that balance when the president demands complete loyalty from outlets he considers part of the conservative media ecosystem.
