Trump targets Fox News for ‘promoting’ DeSantis ‘so hard and so much’

Former President Trump renewed his attacks on Fox News this week, accusing the network of underplaying a new poll showing him with a double-digit lead on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a potential 2024 Republican presidential primary match-up.

Trump, in reference to the Fox News poll published Sunday that showed him leading DeSantis by 15 points in a hypothetical match-up, knocked the media giant for “promoting” DeSantis “so hard and so much that there’s not much time left for Real News.”

“Reminds me of 2016 when they were pushing ‘JEB!’ The new Fox Poll, which have always been purposely terrible for me, has ‘TRUMP Crushing DeSanctimonious,’ but they barely show it,” Trump wrote. “Isn’t there a big, beautiful, Network which wants to do well, and make a fortune besides? FAKE NEWS!”

The Hill has reached out to Fox News about Trump’s comments.

Trump has in recent weeks stepped up his attacks on the network, which still features a number of hosts who are staunchly supportive of him, though some have signaled a growing interest in DeSantis.

Last week, Trump labeled Fox a “RINO” network — a term that means “Republican In Name Only” — and blasted the New York Post, also owned by conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch, over their coverage of the Florida governor.

The Fox poll released Sunday showed Trump and DeSantis well ahead of other GOP hopefuls in a hypothetical matchup, with Trump at 43 percent and DeSantis at 28 percent, and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former Vice President Mike Pence at 7 percent each.

Trump and Haley have both formally announced their White House bids, while several other prominent Republicans are widely expected to jump into the primary.

DeSantis has done a series of media interviews in recent days promoting his new book. He hinted last week that he would make a decision on whether to challenge Trump and others for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination after his state’s legislative session wraps up in May.