Trump tweets ‘we all miss’ Ailes after swiping at Fox

President Trump targeted Fox News late Tuesday while tweeting praise for its late chairman, Roger Ailes.

Trump swiped at the network in multiple tweets for having Donna Brazile, a former Democratic National Committee chair, as a contributor.

“She gets fired by @CNN for giving Crooked Hillary the debate questions, and gets hired by @FoxNews. Where are you Roger Ailes?” Trump initially tweeted.

He was referring to an incident in 2016 when it was revealed that Brazile passed town hall topics to 2016 Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Brazile later called her decision a “mistake.”

The president also retweeted multiple posts Tuesday night that were critical of the network for having Brazile as a contributor. Brazile joined Fox News as a contributor last year.

She gets fired by @CNN for giving Crooked Hillary the debate questions, and gets hired by @FoxNews. Where are you Roger Ailes? https://t.co/XVwzt3Me5d

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 30, 2020

Trump critics quickly pounced on the president’s tweet about Ailes, noting that the former Fox chairman, who had been accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct, has been dead for three years.

“President Cognitive Ability inquires about the whereabouts of Roger Ailes,” conservative lawyer and vocal Trump critic George Conway tweeted, appearing to reference Trump’s frequent boasts about his mental faculties.

President Cognitive Ability inquires about the whereabouts of Roger Ailes. https://t.co/lDG1KiFG3g

— George Conway (@gtconway3d) June 30, 2020

Brazile also hit back, suggesting that Trump was not supporting U.S. troops in light of recent reports of Russia paying Taliban-linked groups to kill coalition forces in Afghanistan.

“Mr President, will you back our troops or stand with you pal Putin? Read my lips: Our country deserves better,” she tweeted. 

Mr President, will you back our troops or stand with you pal Putin?

Read my lips: Our country deserves better. https://t.co/gyRWEkasGG

— Donna Brazile (@donnabrazile) June 30, 2020

Trump later clarified: “I know better than anyone that my friend Roger Ailes died 3 years ago, just look at what happened to @FoxNews. We all miss Roger!!!”

I know better than anyone that my friend Roger Ailes died 3 years ago, just look at what happened to @FoxNews. We all miss Roger!!!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 30, 2020

Trump has generally seen favorable coverage on Fox News, though the president has recently knocked the network for conducting polls that showed him trailing former Vice President Joe Biden. 

“I’m not happy with Fox at all,” Trump said in an interview earlier this month. 

“My base hates what Fox News is doing,” he said, asserting that the network “wants to be politically correct all of a sudden.”