Tag: Rupert Murdoch

Both of the American newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation — The Wall Street Journal and New York Post — made it very clear in scathing op-eds that failed, one-term, twice-impeached former president Donald Trump has completely lost the support of the conservative media mogul and that Murdoch is ready for the Donald to disappear from the political scene as a result of his actions (and inaction) on January 6, 2021.

The Wall Street Journal used this headline for their editorial,  “The President Who Stood Still on Jan. 6,” writing:

“No matter your views of the Jan. 6 special committee, the facts it is laying out in hearings are sobering. The most horrifying to date came Thursday in a hearing on President Trump’s conduct as the riot raged and he sat watching TV, posting inflammatory tweets and refusing to send help.”

The Journal’s editorial board continued:

“The committee’s critics are right that it lacks political balance. Still, the brute facts remain: Mr. Trump took an oath to defend the Constitution, and he had a duty as Commander in Chief to protect the Capitol from a mob attacking it in his name. He refused. He didn’t call the military to send help. He didn’t call Mr. Pence to check on the safety of his loyal VP. Instead he fed the mob’s anger and let the riot play out.

“Character is revealed in a crisis, and Mr. Pence passed his Jan. 6 trial. Mr. Trump utterly failed his.”

The Post was equally critical of Trump:

“There has been much debate over whether Trump’s rally speech on Jan. 6, 2021, constituted ‘incitement.’ That’s somewhat of a red herring. What matters more — and has become crystal clear in recent days — is that Trump didn’t lift a finger to stop the violence that followed. And he was the only person who could stop what was happening. He was the only one the crowd was listening to. It was incitement by silence.”

Post editors wrote Trump’s political obituary by concluding:

“There is no other explanation, just as there is no defense, for his refusal to stop the violence. It’s up to the Justice Department to decide if this is a crime. But as a matter of principle, as a matter of character, Trump has proven himself unworthy to be this country’s chief executive again.”

The only reason Trump has any plans to run again is so he can forestall being prosecuted for his endless list of crimes. But it’s a long way to 2024, and we’ll know well before then whether or not he’s facing indictment and trial.

But for what it’s worth, Rupert Murdoch has clearly washed his hands of the Donald.

Even though his cable “news” channel refused to air the first public hearing of the January 6 House Select Committee on Thursday evening, two influential newspapers owned by Fox chairman Rupert Murdoch lit into failed, one-term former president Donald Trump in blistering op-eds they published, suggesting that the ex-president “bears responsibility for the mayhem” that took place on that fateful day.

The first op-ed appeared in the Wall Street Journal, and it didn’t pull any punches regarding Trump and the horror we watched unfold on the day thousands of Trump supporters attacked the seat of government:

The President spread falsehoods about the election. He invited supporters to Washington on Jan. 6, tweeting on Dec. 19 that it ‘will be wild!’ He riled up the crowd and urged it to march on the Capitol. After violence began, he dawdled instead of sending help. Mr. Trump bears responsibility for the mayhem. But inspiring followers to march is not the same as leading a criminal conspiracy.

The Journal editorial board was also critical of Trump’s attacks on the committee:

There was a similar op-ed in the New York Post, along with a warning for Republicans to stop spreading Trump’s lies about the 2020 election:

Trump has become a prisoner of his own ego. He can’t admit his tweeting and narcissism turned off millions. He won’t stop insisting that 2020 was ‘stolen’ even though he’s offered no proof that it’s true. Respected officials like former Attorney General Bill Barr call his rants ‘nonsense.’ This isn’t just about Liz Cheney. Mitch McConnell, Betsy DeVos, Mark Meadows — they all knew Trump was delusional. His own daughter and son-in-law testified it was bull.

Of course, if Murdoch had any balls, he would have demanded that Thursday’s hearings be aired in full on Fox. Instead, he and his son, Lachlan, caved to the whims of right-wing douches like Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity, both of whom deserve to be locked up for their roles in January 6.