President Donald Trump slammed Fox News for conducting a “softball” interview with Michigan progressive Democrat U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.
Trump took aim at the network both during a Monday rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, and afterward on Truth Social, complaining that Fox gives too much airtime to Democrats while failing to give Republicans and his MAGA movement comparable coverage.
“El-Sayed was interviewed just a little while ago on a certain network, I won’t tell you which one,” Trump told the Nebraska crowd. “They let this guy talk, talk, talk. They hardly fight him at all.”
Trump was referring to El-Sayed’s lengthy appearance Monday on Fox News’ “The Story,” where host Martha MacCallum questioned the Democrat about terrorism, Iran, Medicare for All, and campaign financing.
MacCallum questioned El-Sayed over his pledge to get “money out of politics” while accepting support from wealthy individual donors.
She noted that Jeffrey Soros, nephew of billionaire Democrat donor George Soros, hosted El-Sayed at a Los Angeles fundraiser and pressed him about $30 million in spending pledged by the Democrat-aligned Senate Majority PAC.
“When individuals want to give to my campaign, I welcome their support,” El-Sayed said, arguing that such donations differ from politicians soliciting corporate money.
Despite MacCallum’s questioning, Trump argued the interview gave El-Sayed too much latitude.
“Why are they putting these people on our television networks?” Trump said. “They say they like to project both sides, but the other side doesn’t project both sides.”
Trump sharpened his criticism on Truth Social, specifically identifying MacCallum and Fox.
“All they talk about is Dumocrat Jihadists like El-Sayed, with his softball interview by Martha MacCallum, and the like,” Trump wrote. “She never interviews me like that.”
Trump also complained Fox does not give sufficient attention to his rallies, writing that the network is “promoting the Dumocrats, not the Republicans and MAGA” and has “totally lost their way!”
During the rally, Trump called El-Sayed a “total communist.”
El-Sayed identifies as a progressive and supports Medicare for All, while his campaign website calls for breaking up large healthcare companies and lowering prescription drug costs.
El-Sayed is facing Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers in one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate contests.
Former President Barack Obama is scheduled to campaign with El-Sayed in Detroit on Oct. 24 as Democrats seek to hold the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Gary Peters.