Trump to appear on Hannity amid tensions with Fox News

Former President Trump is slated to make an appearance on Sean Hannity’s prime-time program on Fox News on Monday, the network confirmed this week.

The network said Hannity would present an “exclusive interview” with Trump, which will be conducted in person at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.

Trump’s return to Fox’s airwaves is significant, given tensions between the former president and the top-watched cable news channel. It would also mark the former president’s first appearance on the network since he announced another bid for the White House last November.

Trump has relentlessly attacked Fox in recent weeks, mainly over its coverage of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who is widely expected to challenge him for the Republican nomination for president this year, calling it a “RINO” network in one recent social media post.

It also comes as Hannity and several other top hosts at Fox are dealing with a slew of bad publicity as the network fights a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems stemming from what the company alleges was Fox’s airing of Trump’s false claims of voter fraud after the 2020 election.

Fox has moved to have the case brought by Dominion dismissed on First Amendment grounds and has accused it of cherry-picking text messages and depositions from top hosts to build a stronger case.

Hannity is a long-time personal friend of Trump and remains staunchly supportive of the former president, who is facing possible indictment in New York in connection with the Manhattan district attorney’s probe into a hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in 2016.

—Updated at 9:58 a.m.