Fox Pretends Everyone Loves Elon Musk Even as Voters Scream They Hate Him

A condensed overview of 17 hours of Fox News for the week ending 2/23/25

Feb 26, 2025

Last week the folks on Fox continued to elevate Elon Musk as a wildly popular champion of the American people while they pretended proposed $5000 DOGE dividend checks issued to every adult American would not cause inflation. Crime, the economy, transgender athletes, DEI programs, the woke mind virus, border crossings and mass deportations all took a backseat as the network became a DOGE infomercial.

Meanwhile in town halls across the country organized by Republican members of congress angry constituents complained bitterly about the reckless unelected billionaire who was destroying jobs and slashing important government programs.

Sean Hannity repeatedly praised President Donald J. Trump and Elon Musk in a joint two-part interview. As Hannity claimed they seemed like best friends or even brothers the two men looked like two dime-store Bond villains who were ready to shove each other into a wood chipper the second the camera crew left the room.

Anyone watching Fox News exclusively last week might have missed out on stories about increasing tensions between Israel and Hamas, a criminal indictment involving six prison guards in New York State and Trump’s falling approval ratings.

Shows I covered last week:

Fox & Friends
Jesse Watters Primetime
The Five
Hannity - Tuesday and Wednesday to get Musk/Trump interview

Fox & Friends Loves Elon Musk

On Wednesday on “Fox & Friends,” Steve Doocy started the daily festival of adoration about Elon Musk’s DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency).

“All right. Well, you know somebody. Somebody who's got some skin in the game would be Elon Musk,” said Doocy.

The rest of the cast smile broadly.

“End the show here,” said Brian Kilmeade.

“He has been asked by the president, as you know famously, to take a look at the federal government because the president has felt for years there's a lot of waste, fraud and abuse. And last night, sitting down with Sean Hannity in an interview that, I think they taped a couple of days ago, but it's really interesting. He actually, Elon Musk revealed that in the total budget right now, they had identified about 1% in waste, fraud and abuse. And ultimately, they think they could hit $1 trillion, which was the goal all along,” said Doocy.

Elon Musk actually said his goal was to find $2 trillion in savings.

“Yeah. So they're talking about a total savings of $50, $55 billion,” said Lawrence Jones.

“So, far in one week, or one month. I should say one month,” said Ainsley Earhardt.

“Over 1000 contributions. One month, have been canceled. And I think that the numbers are only going to go up Ainsley,” said Jones.

“So now and he's even showing an interest in the idea of guaranteeing a $5,000 check to every American. It would be called the DOGE dividend. They're saving a lot of money. And what I got out of this interview, and we're going to play a lot of clips for you this morning is that it really humanized them. It showed that they really get along. It showed,” said Earhardt.

“They're pals,” said Doocy.

“And how much they love America. Donald Trump is a billionaire. He doesn't have to go through all the things he's been through over the last eight years. Elon Musk is working for free. He's a billionaire. He talked about his companies. And Neuralink can help the blind to see spinal cord injuries so that someone can walk again. I mean, this is incredible. It's cutting edge. He talked about the rocket. And, for the first time, the rocket usually dumps in the ocean. But if they can catch it like the baby Donald Trump said, then that saves $1 billion,” said Earhardt.

“It's more efficient,” said Doocy.

According to reporting by the New York Times the public ledger for the DOGE program is riddled with mistakes and inaccurate information.

Some contracts were counted two or three times.
The ledger included programs that were ended during the Biden administration.
Cancellations disproportionally affected businesses run by women and people of color.
If a program had a total maximum ceiling for a budget of $100 million but only spent $10 million DOGE is counted the savings as $90 million even though only $10 million was spent with no plans to increase the amount.
The DOGE team is not accounting for termination costs incurred with some government contracts
In one egregious case DOGE claimed a $232 million savings for IT services to support the Social Security administration was closer to $560,000.
One expense for an $8 million contract for technical service for ICE was originally reported as $8 billion by DOGE.
As mistakes have been pointed out in the press and changes made on the DOGE “wall of receipts,” the total number of savings of $55 billion has remained the same.

The Times contacted a scientist, David Reid, in Michigan who found a contract he had worked on to study invasive species in the St. Lawrence Seaway was included on DOGE’s list. Reid claimed the contract expired at on 12/31/24 he decided to retire and not renew it.

DOGE claimed it saved U.S. taxpayers $25,000 by ending Reid’s contract.

According to Sean Hannity Americans Love DOGE and Elon Musk

On Wednesday before the second segment of his joint interview with President Trump and Elon Musk, Sean Hannity cited a poll by the right leaning Rasmussen Reports that showed Musk with a 55% approval rating.

The next day The Washington Post published findings from a Post-Ipsos poll.

Questions about Trump:

57% of Americans thought Trump had exceeded his authority since taking office
43% supported what the president had done during his first month in office.
48% oppose what the president has done so far.
37% strongly oppose Trump.
27% strongly support the president.
6 in 10 Americans oppose shutting down USAID.
53% disapprove of how Tump is handling the economy.
54% disapprove of how Trump is handling the federal government.
54% think Democrats should control congress in the next term to act as a check on Trump.

Questions about Elon Musk

When asked, “Do you approve or disapprove of the job that Elon Musk is doing within the federal government?”
- 21% strongly approve
- 41% strongly disapprove
When asked, “Do you approve or disapprove of Musk shutting down federal government programs that he decides are unnecessary?”
- 26% approve
- 52% disapprove
When asked about how concerned they were about Musk getting access to some federal databases
- 45% very concerned
- 19% somewhat concerned
- 16% not so concerned
- 17% not at all concerned

The Gallup Poll of Doom for Trump

A recent Gallup Poll showed that for this time during a presidency Donald J. Trump had the second lowest approval ratings for any president in recent history. The only president that scored lower than Trump’s second term was Donald J. Trump for his first term.

Source - Trump’s Job Approval Rating at 45%; Congress’ Jumps to 29%

Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI)

On Friday a local NBC affiliate in Wisconsin WTMJ-TV NBC 4 featured a short segment about angry constituents at a town hall organized by Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI). Fitzgerald won his last election with 64.5% of the vote.

“There is no law. And there is no order, and there are no consequences. Nobody is held to account,” said an elderly woman at the event.

“The end result of the fraud and abuse that has been discovered already,” said Fitzgerald.

The crowd loudly booed the congressman before he could finish his thought.

“Voters in West Bend expressing their frustrations today with their congressman, Republican Scott Fitzgerald,” said co-anchor Tom Durian.

“Many are upset about cuts being made by the Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk,” said co-anchor Susan Kim.

Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA)

The same day on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” producers featured cell phone footage from a town hall event organized by Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA). McCormick won his last election with 64.9% of the vote.

A man stood at a microphone near the front of the hall as he asked the congressman a question.

“CDC workers working on the bird flu, being fired by DOGE, and then having been rehired when someone realizes, oh gosh, we need those people. Why is the supposedly conservative Party taking such a radical and extremist and sloppy approach to this?” asked the man as the crowd erupted in cheers.

“A lot of the work they do is duplicitous. Again, one of the problems we have,” said McCormick as the crowd erupted in boos.

Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI)

That same night another local NBC affiliate WGBA-TV NBC 26 featured a town hall organized by Rep. Glen Grothman (R-WI). Grothman won his last election with 61.3% of the vote.

“It is not doing creating any more money in our government,” asked an angry man in the first row.

“I think as you reduce taxes and incentives for more people to work,” said Grothman. The crowd loudly booed drowning out the rest of his comment.

“Rothman expressed his support for President Donald Trump's administration and executive orders,” said Ezekiel Telemaco the neighborhood reporter for WGBA-TV.

Producers cut back to the town hall.

“President Trump has issued a lot of executive orders. I think, by and large, this is moving very quickly compared to other administrations. And I think across the board, he's done some very good things,” said Grothman.

He was again drowned out by boos and a heckling crowd.

“I think many at the meeting disagreed, demanding Grothman to push back at the president,” said Telemaco.

Nearly the entire room broke out into a chant as people put their coats on and started leaving the room.

“Do your job! Do your job! Do your job!”

The Folks at “The Five” HATE the Idea of DOGE Dividend Checks Except for Jesse Watters.

On Wednesday on “The Five,” the only person who seemed excited about the prospect of a DOGE dividend check for American taxpayers was Jesse Watters.

“We want bigger dividend DOGE check rebates. I don't want to pay down the debt. Put it back into the economy. This is an electoral win. The more DOGE cuts, the bigger the dividend checks. We remember how popular the Stimmy (stimulus) checks were,” said Watters.

“We don’t want that,” said Greg Gutfeld interrupting him.

“Those were printing money. These are rebates checks,” said Watters.

“What about the inflationary aspect?” asked Dana Perino.

“DOGE isn’t Robinhood, said Gutfeld.

“I want rebates! The voters want rebates,” bellowed Watters.

“No you don’t. The government is not a piggy bank. The whole point of DOGE is to cut waste, fraud and abuse. It's not. Hey, let's take. We want to shrink government. You're not shrinking government,” said Gutfeld.

“You're giving money back,” said Watters.

“Okay, okay,” said Gutfeld as he attempted to cut off Watters.

“We can pay down the debt when we grow the economy from higher revenues that the rebate checks are going to generate,” said Watters.

“No, no, no, no, no,” said Judge Jeanine Pirro.

“That's what tax cuts do. That's exactly what they do,” said Watters.

“Haven’t we argued about too much money chasing too few goods. Which causes more inflation. Printing money to cause inflation,” said Perino.

“You're printing money to cause inflation, not here you’re printing nothing,” said Watters.

Watters might want to crack a book open and read about this force called ‘supply and demand,’ that exists in every free market economy. Any increase in demand can raise prices. If every adult American got $5000 around the same time it would most likely increase demand on some sectors of the economy.

Within 24 Hours The Folks on “The Five” Had a Change of Heart

I have no idea if the cast of “The Five,” got some type of memo or instruction from their corporate overlords but they seemed to abruptly change their minds about DOGE dividend checks.

Harold Ford Jr. was enthusiastic about dividend checks. The day before he seemed indifferent.

“The $5,000 checks. I love the idea. I think you should only send it to people who earn less than $150,000 a year, sending $5,000 to a multi-millionaire here in New York, a Boston or Philadelphia, new Jersey, when we should be paying down our debt. That, to me, is a bigger priority than all I think,” said Ford.

Judge Jeanine Pirro went from ‘no, no, no, no, no,” to liking the idea.

“I like the idea of giving $5,000 to everybody, not because I wanted or don't want it. But let's do something across the board for everybody and let's cut down on the debt,” said Pirro.

Greg Gutfeld had the most dramatic transformation.

“The dividend is not right, but it's persuasive. Yeah. You know, DOGE wasn't supposed to be Robinhood, but everybody loves Robinhood. Especially if he's robbing on behalf of you. And Trump understands. Hey, if the government's been ripping you off and giving it to cronies, maybe it's time we get in on the action . . .the dividend will keep supporters. It’s a bribe,” said Gutfeld.

Dana Perino was the only person who seemed skeptical of the idea.

Would DOGE Checks Cause Inflation?

Generally speaking, if I asked ten economists a question I might get 11 different opinions. Economics is always a bit mercurial much like the human beings who are part of any economy.

Some economists think that giving every adult American $5000 at around the same time would heat the economy up too quickly resulting in a dramatic rise in demand for goods and services.

It could also create problems in the supply chain which still exist from the COVID-19 pandemic. Major retailers would anticipate when Americans might get this surge in income and price their products accordingly even offering special deals to try to lure as many new customers as possible.

Sending out checks could also increase the deficit which could cause higher interest rates and inflation.

On the flipside some economists and analysts think that the dividend checks wouldn’t spark inflation since the money has been moved from government expenditures to American consumers.

The argument is based on borrowed money versus money that already exists in the economy.

If Americans paid off their own debt or put their checks into savings accounts there would be a lesser chance of spiking inflation.

Traditionally Americans are notorious for spending money not saving it. The U.S. savings rate is much lower than most developed countries.

It also seems counterproductive to pay Americans $5000 when the national debt is at a staggering $36.22 trillion.

Lawrence Jones - People Needed Dividend Checks Because of COVID

On Thursday during the first hour of “Fox & Friends,” Lawrence Jones promoted the idea that people needed checks to help with the inflation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This was a real head scratcher as normally the folks on Fox News blame the stimulus checks for the dramatic spike in inflation in June 2022.

“I think people want tangibles and they want to see the money in their pocket immediately because we feel left behind. A lot of folks have had to endure with Covid and all that, and so I think it would help the economy,” said Jones.

“You know why I like it too. A lot of people aren't watching the news. A lot of people don't even know that this is the conversation, that he's saving money. Most people are aware, but not everybody. But if you get a check in the mail and it's $5,000, that helps your family,” said Ainsley Earhardt.

I went through my archives from 2022 and searched for the phrase ‘stimulus checks,” to see what Fox News hosts were saying about them three years ago.

“The Five,” March 21, 2022

“The White House is considering another round of stimulus checks,” said Jessica Tarlov.
“Yeah, that's great for inflation,” answered Greg Gutfeld.
“Yeah. That'll make your dollar worth more,” said Judge Jeanine Pirro.

“Fox & Friends,” May 10, 2022

“And essentially what she's going to do is she's going to push, Joe's $1.2 trillion stimulus plan, which many blame for high prices,” said Steve Doocy.

“Fox & Friends,” May 16, 2022

Will Cain read directly from a Tweet written by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

“Bezos jumped in and said, in fact, the administration has tried hard to inject even more stimulus into an already overinflated inflationary economy. And only Manchin, Joe Manchin of West Virginia saved them from themselves,” said Cain.

“The Five,” May 17, 2022

“And Morgan Stanley came out yesterday and very specifically said that the 40-year highs and inflation are due to the American Rescue Plan and excess stimulus. And that's what Larry Summers was saying for a long time,” said Dana Perino.

“Fox & Friends,” June 1, 2022

“That Federal Reserve Bank, I believe, attributed those percentage points of inflation to the $1.9 trillion stimulus package passed by the Biden administration. So, look, there are a lot of contributing factors, including shutting down the supply chain. But according to that one analysis right there, that spending package led to a big chunk of what we're experiencing right now. And receipts,” said Will Cain.

“The Five,” June 10, 2022

“Why is inflation worse in the United States than it is across the globe?” asked Will Cain.
“Because we had the worst, monitored combination monetary and fiscal stimulus combined,” said Dagen McDowell.

“The Five,” July 29, 2022

“That's more than $700 billion in additional spending, additional stimulus. So you're feeding the beast of inflation,” said Dagen McDowell.

“The Ingraham Angle,” September 30, 2022

“The Fed predicted that the COVID stimulus alone is driving 30% of the current inflationary effects,” said Laura Ingraham.

The folks at Fox seemed to be oblivious that the COVID stimulus money was inserted into the U.S. economy to avert an economic collapse.

Every wealthy nation infused their economies with some form of stimulus to prevent affected industries from collapsing. If entire sectors of an economy failed it would have a domino effect on other industries along with the banking system.

Inflation was also a global problem caused in part by the war in Ukraine which caused a spike in energy and food prices. The chaos involved with the pandemic also created major problems with the international supply chain that increased prices across the board.

Stories Fox News Ignored

Every week I compare the hours I’ve watched on Fox News to five hours of the PBS News Hour. The following list are stories that PBS covered that Fox News did not. Source - PBS transcripts.

Updates in the Israel-Hamas War
- The Israeli military says a drone strike killed the head of Hamas's military operations in Lebanon. The attack comes on the eve of an already extended deadline for Israel's withdrawal from the country. Under the terms of November ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah. An Israeli official now says that forces will remain across five strategic locations beyond the deadline. (PBS News Hour)
- Families of Israeli hostages marched to the Knesset in Jerusalem to mark 500 days since their loved ones were taken in the October 7th Hamas attacks. Some 70 Israeli hostages remain in captivity in Gaza. Of those, around half are believed to be dead and more than 48,000 Palestinians have now been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its air and ground war there. That's according to Gaza's health ministry. The agency does not differentiate between military and civilian casualties. (PBS News Hour)
- The U.N. agency for Palestinian Refugees, or UNRWA, says that Israeli forces raided four of its schools in East Jerusalem today and ordered them closed.
  At least 600 students and 30 staff were affected. (PBS News Hour)
- Israel also said today that it's surging troops to the Israeli occupied West Bank, after three empty busses exploded near Tel Aviv in an apparent attempted terrorist attack. No injuries were reported. (PBS News Hour)
PBS produced a segment about how cuts to USAID and other federal programs have negatively affected U.S. farmers. About 40% of the government's food assistance comes from American farms. Others say they're on the hook for contracts for renewable energy equipment that the government promised to help with. (PBS News Hour)
Native American activist Leonard Peltier was released from prison after former President Joe Biden commuted his life sentence. Peltier was convicted of killing two FBI agents in 1975, and the agency has long opposed his commutation. The 80-year-old has always maintained his innocence, and Native Americans widely believe he was a political prisoner. Fox did report on this story but left out the context that PBS included about the controversy surrounding his conviction. (PBS News Hour)
PBS produced a segment about water management in California. President Donald J. Trump has made several false and inaccurate statements about how water is used throughout the state. (PBS News Hour)
PBS produced a segment about the history and current state of the Panama Canal. President Donald J. Trump has made several false and inaccurate statements about the number of American deaths involved in the creation of the canal. Trump has repeatedly made the claim that 30,000 Americans perished building the waterway when the number is closer to 500 - 600. He has also left out important context about the billions of dollars Panama has spent improving and expanding the waterway. (PBS News Hour)
Andrew Lester, a white man who shot an unarmed Black teenager, Ralph Yarl, has died days after he pleaded guilty to second degree assault. Yarl mistakenly knocked on Lester’s door after he confused it for another home where he planned to pick up his younger siblings. Yarl survived the shooting and is now a freshman at Texas A&M University. Lester was 86 years old. No cause. of death was given. (PBS News Hour)
In New York six prison workers were indicted today for second degree murder in the fatal beating of a handcuffed inmate. Four others were charged with lesser crimes. Body cameras caught multiple officers beating 43-year-old Robert Brooks hours after he was transferred to Marcy Correctional Facility in December. He died the next day. (PBS News Hour)
In South Korea. Embattled President Yoon Suk Yeol appeared in two different courts today for hearings related to his imposition of martial law last year.
In the first, his legal team contested his arrest on rebellion charges. The second was the latest hearing in his ongoing impeachment trial. (PBS News Hour)
In Spain, the former head of the nation's soccer federation was found guilty of sexual assault for kissing a player without her consent. Luis Rubiales kissed Jenni Hermoso on the mouth after her team won the World Cup in 2023, but resigned a few weeks later amid fierce criticism. His lawyers argued that the kiss was consensual, and even if it wasn't, it shouldn't be considered sexual assault. Hermoso said in her testimony that the kiss “stained one of the happiest days of my life.” (PBS News Hour)
Nearly 1 in 10 U.S. adults identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or something other than heterosexual. That's according to results of a 2024 Gallup survey out today, which says that share of the population is up by two thirds since 2020. The trend is driven mostly by generation Z, which Gallup defines as 18 to 27 year olds. Nearly 1 in 4 identify as LGBTQ and 1.3% identify as transgender, more than twice the number in 2020. (PBS News Hour)
In New York, Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing United Health Care CEO Brian Thompson, appeared in court for the first time since his arraignment on state murder and terror charges two months ago. His attorney said there were search and seizure issues during Mangione arrest outside the courthouse. She said a number of factors are complicating his right to a fair trial. (PBS News Hour)
A jury in western New York found Hadi Matar, the man who stabbed author Salman Rushdie, guilty of attempted murder. The 27-year-old from New Jersey gave no obvious reaction as he heard the verdict. Jurors deliberated for less than two hours. Matar faces up to 25 years in prison. (PBS News Hour)
PBS produced a segment about the Trump administration’s termination of federal workers and contractors involved with the national parks. PBS spoke to experts and terminated employees about what the cuts might mean for safety and search and rescue operations for visitors to the nations parks. (PBS News Hour)
President Trump's poll numbers appear to be falling. New polls from CNN and The Washington Post show a majority of Americans say he's overstepped his presidential authority and hasn't done enough to address high prices. (PBS News Hour)
One of Oklahoma’s most influential politicians, David Boren, has died. He made waves in his home state in 1974, when he became the youngest governor in the country, at the age of 33. Four years later, the Democrat won a seat in the US Senate, where he was instrumental in shaping U.S. national intelligence. Midway through his third term, he resigned to become president of the University of Oklahoma. David Boren retired in 2018, leaving the university after a sexual harassment probe. He denied wrongdoing and there were never any charges nor litigation. At the time, his lawyer described Boren as a dedicated public servant for more than 50 years. David Boren was 83 years old. (PBS News Hour)