Former President Donald Trump revealed on Friday that staff members from Fox News assisted him in preparing his speech for the Al Smith charity dinner, where he made jokes and criticized Vice President Kamala Harris. During an interview on “Fox and Friends,” Trump acknowledged that he received help from a few Fox employees but went on to say that he didn’t like most of the jokes they suggested, which elicited laughter from the show’s hosts.
In his address, delivered to a supportive Catholic audience, Trump mocked Harris’ intelligence, insulted her family, and expressed grievances about his treatment during his presidency, which garnered cheers and laughs from attendees.
While Fox News hosts generally express strong support for Trump, this marks a rare instance of formal collaboration with his campaign. In 2018, Sean Hannity campaigned alongside Trump in the lead-up to the midterm elections.
Fox News subsequently denied that any of its staff contributed to Trump’s jokes. A spokesperson for the network confirmed that “no employee or freelancer wrote the jokes.” However, sources indicated that comedian Nick Di Paolo, known for writing jokes for Fox host Greg Gutfeld, assisted Trump with his remarks.
The Trump campaign did not comment on the situation when reached for input.
Additionally, Trump discussed plans to confront Fox News founder Rupert Murdoch after the interview, requesting that the network refrain from airing negative advertisements about him for a period of 21 days. He expressed confidence in his ability to persuade Murdoch, stating, “We’re going to have a victory because I think everyone wants that.”
Trump’s remarks followed years of tension with Fox and its leadership. He previously labeled Murdoch a “MAGA Hating Globalist RINO” and accused him of undermining America. Trump also criticized Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott for featuring Democratic commentators in her programming.
These comments came shortly after Harris conducted her first formal interview with Fox anchor Bret Baier, which attracted nearly 8 million viewers and significantly outperformed Trump’s concurrent town hall event that drew 3.1 million viewers.