Trump Rips Fox News Anchor Martha MacCallum for Softball Interview with ‘Jihadist’

President Donald Trump is criticizing Fox News over its coverage of Michigan’s closely contested U.S. Senate race, as Republican strategists accuse the network of providing a Democratic candidate with valuable exposure ahead of November’s election. The controversy centers on Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive Democrat facing former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers. GOP officials worry that El-Sayed’s frequent Fox News appearances could help him appeal to moderate and conservative voters.

Trump publicly criticized Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum following her Monday interview with El-Sayed, describing the exchange as too favorable toward the Democratic candidate. “Fox is promoting the Dumocrats, not the Republicans and MAGA. They have totally lost their way!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

According to Axios, White House officials also contacted Fox News executives on Tuesday to express dissatisfaction with the interview. The complaints reflect broader Republican concerns about how the network has presented El-Sayed to its audience.

The Democrat has made Fox News a significant part of his campaign strategy, appearing in interviews while purchasing substantial advertising time on the network. Between October 1 and October 6, his campaign reportedly aired 129 advertisements on Fox News, approximately twice its total on ESPN.

“It’s not just that he is doing interviews with Fox. It’s that he is on Fox every commercial break,” Michigan Republican strategist Dennis Lennox told Axios.

Republicans are particularly frustrated by favorable remarks from Fox News host Jesse Watters, whose comments about El-Sayed have already appeared in Democratic campaign advertising. The controversy began following El-Sayed’s victory over an establishment-backed opponent in the Democratic primary.

“You gotta respect Abdul because he beat the [Democratic] machine,” Watters said after the primary election.

El-Sayed’s campaign subsequently incorporated that endorsement into a television advertisement, presenting Watters as an unexpected source of credibility. Republican strategists reportedly raised concerns with Fox News leadership about the potential political consequences.

Watters later questioned El-Sayed during an August 24 interview about several controversial positions, including his opposition to Immigration and Customs Enforcement policies, support for Medicare for All, and views concerning Sharia law.

However, the following day, Watters again offered a favorable personal assessment of the Democratic candidate.

“I actually like Abdul. I probably shouldn’t like him, but I do,” he said.

The remarks intensified Republican concerns that El-Sayed was successfully reaching voters who might otherwise dismiss his progressive political positions.

His campaign has continued using interviews with conservative media personalities to broaden its audience.

“I am going to have conversations with all kinds of folks,” El-Sayed said during his Monday appearance with MacCallum.

The strategy has also generated substantial television viewership. Fox News reported that Watters’ August interview with El-Sayed attracted nearly 3.4 million viewers, making it the highest-rated prime-time cable news broadcast of that month.

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“They are doing him a favor. It’s only helping him reach center-right voters. But they are in business to make money, and he attracts eyeballs,” Republican strategist Jason Roe told Axios.

Fox News Media President and Executive Editor Jay Wallace defended the network’s editorial approach, suggesting that presenting challenging or unexpected political perspectives remains part of its responsibility.

“Someone didn’t necessarily like that,” Wallace said, apparently referencing Trump’s criticism. “But that’s what we do.”

The dispute highlights growing tensions between Republican political operatives and one of the country’s most influential conservative-leaning television networks.

With Michigan’s Senate contest drawing national attention, Republicans remain concerned that El-Sayed’s exposure could complicate their efforts to portray him as too progressive for the state’s electorate.