Fox News: The Republican National Convention

A condensed overview of 31 hours of Fox News for the week ending 7/21/24

Last week Fox News spent nearly all its energy fawning over Donald J. Trump, bashing President Biden and rehashing the failed assassination attempt on the former president and Republican presidential candidate.

Fox News hosts pretended that Trump was a new man filled with humility and introspection after his near-death experience. They ignored the fact that multiple speakers at the convention spread lies about voter fraud or went on hate-filled tirades directed at undocumented immigrants.

They boasted about the party’s diversity as the cameras panned over a nearly all white crowd of mostly senior aged delegates. Any ongoing segment would abruptly stop as camera operators would pan to the side of the arena each night the former president decided to walk up the center stairs to the Trump family box with a large bandage on his injured ear.

Trump loyalists praised God for the miracle of Trump evading a would-be assassin’s bullet as a senior aged wrestler ripped off his shirt and a white rapper re-wrote a 26-year-old hit in his honor.

The message was unity throughout the proceedings with Trump being the center of everything - his name spelled out in giant lights like some sort of musical theater revue.

The crescendo of this spectacle was a meandering long-winded and rambling speech that included a plethora of lies, Trump’s usual divisive language and self-aggrandizement.

Shows I covered last week:

• Fox & Friends

• The Five

• The Ingraham Angle

• Fox RNC coverage - approx. 16 hours

• PBS RNC coverage in addition to my usual five hours of PBS NewsHour

Laura Ingraham Celebrated the Dumbest Moments from the RNC

On Friday Laura Ingraham wrapped up the week’s events with a montage of speeches from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The first clip was of Dana White, the President of Ultimate Fighting Championship.

“Trump is literally putting his life on the line for something bigger than himself, and he's willing to risk it all because he loves this country.”

The producers quickly cut to an impassioned Pastor Lorenzo Sewell of Detroit, Michigan.

“You can't deny the power of God on this man's life. You can't deny that God protected him. You cannot deny that it was a millimeter miracle that was able to save this man's life.”

The next speaker was the 70-year-old professional wrestler Hulk Hogan. As Hogan spoke, he ripped off a black with his own image on it to reveal a red Trump Vance 2025 campaign t-shirt.

“When they took a shot at my hero. And they tried to kill the next president of the United States. No. Was enough. We don't. Him. Yeah. Trump on the run while Brother Luke Trump will again let Trump-a-mania make America great again.”

The producers then cut to Ingraham who sat smiling in a Fox News studio.

“Every 70-year-old man watching that is like, how does that guy look so good? All right. Who said politics can be entertaining and inspiring?”

My guess would be that Hulk Hogan, aka Terry Gene Bollea, is consuming anabolic steroids, human growth hormones or another substance to alter his physique. Bollea admitted to using steroids for 14 years of his career.

Some Scandals Involving Trump’s Invited Speakers at the RNC

Hulk Hogan (Terry Gene Bollea)

• Bollea made several racist comments in a sex tape that was leaked in 2015

  • He said the n-word several times in reference to his daughter’s love life

  • He also used a homophobic slur

• He also lied about his steroid use for years claiming falsely that he was completely clean.

• When another wrestler, Jesse "The Body" Ventura, tried to organize a union for wrestlers Bollea was instrumental in blocking it.

• Bollea choked out Richard Belzer on live TV in a poorly executed demonstration of a wrestling move.

  • Belzer passed out on his show and ended up suing Bollea for $5 million. The two reached an undisclosed settlement.

• In a 2018 interview Bollea admitted to sabotaging the careers of other wrestlers to keep his position as one of the most successful wrestlers in the industry.

• He cheated on his wife of 24 years with his daughter’s best friend.

• Bollea promoted conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 vaccine on social media.

Dana White

• White was caught slapping his wife on video

  • On New Year’s Eve in 2022 White and his wife got into a heated argument outside a nightclub in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

  • White’s wife struck him first and then White slapped her twice before they both walked off camera.

  • White and his wife issued a statement about the incident and he faced no disciplinary action by the UFC

• His mother wrote an unauthorized biography of her son claiming he turned his back on his family.

  • She called her son egotistical, self-centered, arrogant, and cruel

Pastor Lorenzo Sewell

• Was involved in a legal battle with a church that attempted to push him out.

• Members of the church voted to oust Sewell but he refused to leave.

• Sewell was handcuffed by police as he was forced to leave the building in an incident he called a ‘church-jacking’

Laura Ingraham Compared Trump to Reagan

On Thursday, the final night of the Republican National Convention, Laura Ingraham compared Donald J. Trump to Ronald Reagan.

“I've said it before, I'm going to say it again. Donald Trump is the true heir to Ronald Reagan. Now, mark my words as someone who was a young Reaganite who worked for President Reagan. History will remember Trump in a similar way. It's not exactly identical, but the way that history remembers Reagan. And it's of course, it's not just the assassination attempt, but the way Reagan changed the Republican Party and the way Trump is changing the Republican Party.”

I can’t imagine Ronald Reagan would be flattered by such a comparison especially since he was incredibly hawkish towards the Soviet Union.

THEY Tried to Kill Trump! Who is They?

On Monday on “The Ingraham Angle,” Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) repeated a phrase that many Republicans have uttered since Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt.

“Look, the bottom line is this. First, they tried to censor and silent President Trump. Then they tried to indict President Trump. Now they tried to kill President Trump.”

Later Eric Trump echoed his sentiment.

“They’ve done everything to try and strip him of his wealth and of his fame. They've tried to break up our family. They've done everything possible to try and get him and kill him. And they literally tried to kill him this week.”

The former president’s second son made similar comments during his speech at the RNC.

Who are they?

Law enforcement and the Secret Service have identified the would-be assassin as Thomas Matthew Crooks a 20-year-old gun enthusiast who was bullied in school. He also donated $15 to liberal campaign group ActBlue in 2021 before registering as a Republican, according to an election donation filing and news reports.

His father is registered as a libertarian and his mother is a registered Democrat. A neighbor told a reporter with WTAE the local ABC affiliate that he saw Trump campaign signs on the Crooks lawn as recently as a few months ago.

At this point in the investigation officials do not have a solid motive for Crooks. There’s no evidence yet that he was working with anyone or part of any conspiracy.

Greg Gutfeld - How Dare You Call Someone Hitler! I Call People Hitler!

On Monday on “The Five,” Greg Gutfeld blamed heated rhetoric for violent attack on Trump.

“You don't call somebody Hitler in the hopes that they don't get killed. Right. You don't demonize somebody hoping that they get flowers sent to them. You do this because you have a desire to win it at all costs. And now you've seen what happens. And now you have people saying, you know what? Maybe. Maybe we should dial it back a bit. Dial it back a bit. I think it was on “The View”. They said we need to lower the temperature, and they are nothing more than arsonists who aren't aware of the actual work they've done. They've raised the temperature every day. They have threatened democracy, a threat to democracy. I don't know what's worse. Believing that Trump was a threat to democracy or saying he was, and knowing you were lying and not understanding what you did.”

Three days later on the same program Gutfeld saw absolutely nothing wrong with comparing President Joe Biden to Hitler.

“I have no sympathy for anybody. You know, I'm so happy I get to use the Hitler analogy in reverse. This last chapter in Biden's career recalls the final days of Hitler and that movie downfall. I don't know if you remember. We now come full circle. as you know, it's no longer Hitler as a threat, but a feeble retreat into isolation where they refute where you're refuses to admit he is lost and the generals begin to bail on him. That's where we are.”

John Bussey - Trump uses Heated Rhetoric

On Monday during the late-night coverage of the Republican National Convention John Bussey, the associate editor of the Wall Street Journal, pointed out several specific times Trump used violent rhetoric.

“But look, you know, it's not Biden that's being called out for, a political rhetoric that, does have this violent tinge to it. 72% of voters in an NBC poll in 2022 said that, President Trump, former President Trump bore some or a lot of responsibility for the increase in threats and political violence in the country because of his rhetoric and I think, Molly, that we've all heard of, I went through the clips for the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post and Reuters, you know, for this session. And it's a long list of instances where the president has said there's going to be riots in the street if I'm not, if I'm not nominated in 2016 potential death and destruction. he calls his opponents vermin. That's kind of a page out of 1930s, Germany. says that migrants are poisoning the blood of of Americans. Again, this kind of racial overtone says that this is a final battle that we need to demolish the deep state. He calls judges in his criminal cases thugs. He says that former general, former head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a guy that he appointed, General Milley should be executed. And it goes on and on.”

The Professional Undecided Voter

On Friday on “Fox & Friends,” still reporting from Milwaukee, Wisconsin Lawrence Jones interviewed a small panel of undecided voters.

I’ve learned to do a quick search of anyone Fox places on a voter panel since they often try to pass off a political operative as an ordinary citizen.

“The GOP message reach critical undecided voters. That's the big question. Let's bring in three, independents here, here in Wisconsin. Caitlin, Mary and Rick. Undecided voters. let's go to you. Caitlin, what did you think about the speech and did it change your mind?” said Jones ad he began the segment.

The caption under Caitlin’s name included her full name “Caitlin Singleton - Wisconsin Voter”

“Yeah, I think the speech in general and even Eric speech, the message of unity, laying out what we had under former President Trump, what we currently have and what we can expect in the future it did push me forward,” said Singleton.

When I did a search for her name several clips from Fox showed up so I decided to capture each segment and create a timeline of her appearances on the network.

April 30, 2023

Rachel Campos-Duffy introduced Singleton along with another woman in a segment about the economy.

“Joining us now, a panel of moms Tina Avila's and Caitlin Singleton. Tina. Caitlyn, welcome. Let's start with you, Tina.”

September 1, 2023

Brian Kilmeade introduced Singleton in another segment about the economy.

“We're now joined by our panel of everyday but extraordinary Americans, Jasmine Deringer. he works two jobs, and she works two jobs as a single mom. Caitlin Singleton is a mother of three, nonprofit housing site manager. ”

June 12, 2022

Rachel Campos-Duffy introduced Singleton again in a segment about inflation.

“Tanisha Williams is a realtor with four kids. Caitlin Singleton is a rental housing site manager with three kids, and Karolina Del Calvo is a mother of two and a business owner.

October 10, 2021

Rachel Campos-Duffy introduced Singleton as a working mom.

“Our next guests are two working moms. Chris Mayor, is a nurse and a mother of three. Caitlin Singleton, is a rental housing site manager with three kids as well.”

October 15, 2020

Martha MacCallum included Singleton in a panel of three undecided voters.

“Three undecided voters from crucial battleground states. We have Christopher Formosa of Florida, a financial analysts analysis manager, who voted for Gary Johnson back in 2016 as a registered Republican. Caitlin Singleton, Democrat from Wisconsin, is a rental housing site manager, mom of three. She voted for Hillary Clinton last time around.”

November 2, 2020

An unnamed Fox News correspondent introduced Singleton again as an undecided voter.

“Ainsley, thanks so much. And that's right. I am here with Caitlin Singleton from Wisconsin who voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016.”

Singleton appeared seven times on Fox News over the course of four years - three times as an undecided voter. In one of the segments she said that she was a pro-life Catholic but that she had voted for Hillary in 2016.

In the series of clips featuring Singleton, I also noticed Doug Boyer, a man Fox identified as an independent voter. Fox included Boyer on multiple voter panels on “Fox & Friends” in 2023.

Tanisha Williams, a mother from Florida, appeared twice in the same clips as Singleton.

The PBS News Hour is NOT Kidding Around

On Wednesday the anchors at the PBS News Hour addressed the fact that multiple Republican speakers promoted conspiracy theories about non-citizens voting.

“The unsubstantiated claim that Democrats are rigging the the presidential election. Specifically, about non-citizens voting,” said Geoff Bennett, co-anchor of the New Hour.

The producers then cut to a clip of Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaking from the floor of the RNC.

“How did we get here? It happened because Democrats cynically decided they wanted votes from illegals more than they wanted to protect our children.”

Then Kari Lake, a failed candidate for governor and current senatorial candidate for Arizona, spoke.

“Just last week, Ruben Gallego voted to let the millions of people who poured into our country illegally cast a ballot in this upcoming election.”

Amna Nawaz, the other co-anchor for the News Hour, brought to back to the PBS on- site studio at the convention.

“That claim is just one of many conspiracy theories about the security of America's election system that are being spread in the lead up to November. Our White House correspondent, Laura Barrón-López, has been covering this, and she joins us now. Laura, we should point out this claim isn't new, but it is now frequently repeated by Republicans. Where did it come from in the first place?”

“This lie dates back to 2016, when then candidate Donald Trump said that he lost the popular vote because 3 to 5 million noncitizen immigrants voted for Hillary Clinton. That's, of course, is not true. But now it's become much more pervasive among Republicans. This election cycle, going all the way from Republican nominee Donald Trump to House speaker Mike Johnson, who has repeated this baseless claim over and over again. And the House House Republicans just last week passed a bill that makes it illegal for non-citizens to vote, requiring proof of citizenship. It's important to note, Amna, that it is already illegal for non-citizens to vote under federal law,” said Barrón-López

I watched approx. 16 hours of the PBS News Hour coverage of the Republican National Convention. I’d highly recommend the network’s coverage to anyone looking for a professional, nonpartisan, take on the convention.

Stories Fox News Ignored

Every week I compare the hours I’ve covered on Fox News to five hours of the PBS NewsHour. Fox News often ignores major stories. The following list are stories that PBS covered that Fox News did not.

• Climate disasters

  • So far this year 2024 is the hottest year on record. Every month since June 2023 has ranked as the planet's hottest since records began, compared with the corresponding month in previous years, the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said in a monthly bulletin.

• Updates to the war in Ukraine

  • Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he wants Russia to attend another peace summit planned for November.

  • Russia and Ukraine both exchanged 95 prisoners of war three weeks after their last swap. Zelenskyy said in a post on the Telegram messaging service that the United Arab Emirates had again brokered the agreements.

  • Zelenskyy met with U.K.’s new government to ask for permission to strike deeper into Russia to help stop deadly missile strikes into Ukraine.

• Updates to the Israel-Hamas war

  • Israeli airstrikes killed more than 60 Palestinians in Central Gaza including in an area that was designated a safe zone that was crowded with thousands of people.

  • Israeli authorities released 13 detained Palestinians while ceasefire talks remain ongoing between Israel and Hamas.

  • Israeli airstrikes have killed at least five Syrians including three children.

  • According to a new report by Human Rights Watch Hamas’ military wing – the Qassam Brigades – and at least four other Palestinian armed groups committed numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity against civilians during the October 7, 2023 assault on southern Israel. The 236-page report, “‘I Can’t Erase All the Blood from My Mind’: Palestinian Armed Groups’ October 7 Assault on Israel,” documents several dozen cases of serious violations of international humanitarian law by Palestinian armed groups at nearly all the civilian attack sites on October 7.

• Gambia's parliament has voted to uphold a landmark law that bans female genital mutilation (FGM) in the largely Muslim nation, after religious groups pushed for the legislation to be repealed.

• CenterPoint Energy, a Houston based utility company, has been hit with three lawsuits including a pair of class-action petitions seeking more than $100 million apiece, in response to prolonged power outages associated with Hurricane Beryl as well as a fallen power line that caused "life-changing injuries" to a Houston man.

• Russian-American journalist Masha Gessen was convicted in absentia and sentenced to eight years in prison by a Moscow court for criticizing the Russian military. Gessen lives in the United States as staff writer for The New Yorker and a columnist for The New York Times.

• Carlos Watson, founder and former CEO of Ozy Media Inc. was convicted by a federal jury in Brooklyn of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with a years-long scheme to defraud investors in and lenders to Ozy of tens of millions of dollars. 

• Sue Mi Terry, a former CIA agent and White House employee, was criminally indicted for acting as an agent of South Korea. According to the indictment Terry provided South Korean intelligence officers with access, information, and advocacy.

• The American country singer Ingrid Andres apologized for a disastrous performance of the national anthem at a MLB baseball game. Andres said she was drunk during the performance and would be checking into a rehab facility to seek help for substance abuse.

• Last week marked the 10-year anniversary of the shooting down of Malaysia Flight MH17 that took the lives of 298 passengers and crew. An international investigation concluded that the Buk missile system that destroyed MH17 belonged to the Russian 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade and was fired from territory controlled by pro-Moscow separatists. Russia has repeatedly denied any responsibility for the attack.

• PBS produced a segment that fact checked several speakers at the Republican convention who repeated falsehoods that Democrats are rigging the election and that non-citizens will vote in November.

• The mayor of Paris swam in the Seine River to show that it is clean for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Since 2015, organizers have invested $1.5 billion to prepare the Seine for the Olympics and to ensure Parisians have a cleaner river after the Games.

• The Department of Justice accused employees of the countries largest housing provider for migrants of the sexual harassment an abuse of children. Southwest Key Programs Inc. employees, including supervisors, raped, touched or solicited sex and nude images of children beginning in 2015 and possibly earlier.

• The U.N. top court the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel is violating international law over Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The ICJ said Israel should cease all new settlement activities and evacuate settlers from Palestinian territories.

• Ex-Trump CFO Allen Weisselberg was released early from Rikers jail for good behavior after pleading guilty to perjury earlier this year in connection with New York Attorney General Letitia James’ fraud lawsuit against Trump.

• Police issued a ‘shoot-on-site’ orders amid a national curfew in Bangladesh during a rash of student-led protests that have resulted in the death of 100 people. The demonstrations — called for mainly by student groups— started weeks ago to protest a quota system that reserves up to 30% of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971.

• Bernice Johnson Reagon, a musician and scholar who used her rich contralto voice in the service of the American Civil Rights Movement and human rights struggles around the world, died at the age of 81.

• Bob Newhart, a legendary comedian and died at the age of 94. He rose to fame with his comedy album in the 1960’s “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart.” “The Bob Newhart Show” debuted on television in 1972 and ran for six years followed by another television hit, “Newhart,” that ran for eight seasons. The actor and comedian was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1993, and has had his material added to the collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. He won the Kennedy Center’s 2002 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

By the Numbers