Shortly after the Wall Street Journal was removed from the White House press pool as a response to its bombshell story linking Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt faced soft questions on Fox News regarding Hunter Biden.
This follows a series of events that resulted from Trump’s lawsuit against the WSJ and its parent company, News Corp, along with Rupert Murdoch, about a report detailing Trump’s past interactions with Epstein.
The WSJ‘s report, which came out Thursday night, revealed that Trump supposedly gifted Epstein a lewd birthday card back in 2003. According to the article, this card contained an inappropriate drawing and a personal message from Trump suggesting he cherish ‘secrets’. The publication’s allegations created quite a stir.
In an attempt to dismiss the accusations, Trump argued the birthday card report was fabricated and initiated legal measures against the WSJ. His complaint claimed they failed to provide proof of the letter’s existence or authenticity.
Fox News, which has had a supportive relationship with Trump, largely avoided discussing the WSJ story or the ongoing legal issues, despite the dramatic developments. Mention of the WSJ report has primarily appeared in a few segments, including a discussion by Fox News media anchor Howie Kurtz.
On Monday, the White House made headlines again by kicking WSJ reporters out from the travel pool for Trump’s upcoming trip to Scotland. Leavitt made a statement, insisting that there’s no right to special access for any news organization given the WSJ‘s alleged dubious conduct.
This confrontation isn’t the first skirmish between the White House and media outlets that Trump perceives as hostile. Leavitt previously took over pool assignment management, showing clear intent to regulate which journalists get access to the president.
During her Fox News appearance, Leavitt confirmed the exclusion of the WSJ while the anchor, Martha MacCallum, steered clear of any tough grilling over the incident. Instead, the segment meandered around less pressing topics like comments from New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani and Hunter Biden’s recent outrageous rant against Democrats.
During the exchange, Leavitt reiterated her stance on immigration and goal to safeguard American values, insisting the Biden administration wasn’t addressing these critical issues effectively.
Overall, it’s clear that Fox News is opting to sidestep the serious implications of the WSJ situation while tending to topics the president deems distraction-friendly—such as the potential controversy over Obama and the Trump-Russia investigation.
As it stands, the made-for-TV segment featuring Leavitt didn’t address the WSJ fallout directly, highlighting how strategic talking points still dictate discussion choices. Meanwhile, pundits on Fox like Mark Levin d it a waste of time to dwell on Epstein and such tangents—noting the focus should remain on what truly matters to their narrative.
