Future US government: Fox News as a job exchange? Trump relies on entertainment

Loyalty? Absolutely necessary. Well-filled wallet? Certainly not a disadvantage. Fox News slot? A real plus point. A common thread runs through US President-elect Donald Trump’s desired government team – into the studios of his favorite television station.

Whether as hosts (Pete Hegseth, Sean Duffy, Mike Huckabee) or frequent guests (Mehmet Oz, Matt Gaetz, Tulsi Gabbard, Tom Homan, Michael Waltz, John Ratcliffe, Stephen Miller, Elise Stefanik, Doug Collins): many of those who Republicans being considered for key positions are known for regular appearances on Fox News. The right-wing conservative broadcaster appears to be not only a platform for Trump’s messages, but also a source of inspiration for his personnel decisions.

Some of the candidates have political experience. Others have made a name for themselves primarily through media presence and advisory work.

Fox News as a linchpin

During his first term in office, Trump repeatedly brought people with connections to Fox News into his immediate circle. The station is said to play a central role in the 78-year-old’s everyday life. According to media reports, John Bolton, his former national security adviser, once described how Trump “constantly watched Fox News” in the dining room next to the Oval Office. The station is also said to have served as a stimulus for political decisions. Occasionally, people even specifically addressed Trump via the camera in order to express their concerns directly to him – if he did not immediately join in by telephone while the program was running, which happened more often.

TV suitability as a priority

After his election defeat in 2020, the relationship between Trump and Fox News cooled noticeably. But although Trump is increasingly relying on alternative networks and his own platform Truth Social, the relationship has stabilized again.

With Pete Hegseth, a presenter and former soldier, someone with very close ties to the broadcaster is now to take over the management of the Ministry of Defense for the first time. Although Hegseth has military experience, like other of Trump’s preferred candidates, he has no demonstrable expertise in governing or managing such a complex department. As defense minister, he would be responsible for the most powerful military force in the world, a budget of around $800 billion, armaments projects and security policy decisions.

New channels as competitors

It is not surprising that Trump relies heavily on Fox News. The New York real estate mogul rose to national fame on the reality TV show “The Apprentice.” As a politician, he uses the entertainment factor to generate attention and is supported by Fox News. The broadcaster – the controversial market leader in the US news segment – is an integral part of its political ecosystem: Trump delivers the topics, Fox News reinforces them – and vice versa.

But the station is under pressure. Faced with emerging competitors such as Newsmax and One America News (OAN), which are positioning themselves more radically and acting more provocatively, as well as a growing number of similarly oriented online platforms, Fox News is increasingly adapting its content in order not to lose an audience.

Entertainment as a strategy

The president-elect’s team is a kind of mirror of this development. Other figures from the entertainment industry also find their place in it, such as Linda McMahon. The co-founder of the media empire World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is to become Minister of Education. Trump – himself a big wrestling and martial arts fan – has a long-standing personal relationship with her. McMahon headed the US federal agency for the promotion of small and medium-sized businesses in his first term – but, like Hegseth, she lacks important qualifications for the department that Trump now wants to entrust to her.

For the former and future president, politics and entertainment are not in contradiction; the mixture is part of his strategy. He is probably also relying on people who can convincingly defend him and his politics on television.

And that resonates: Many of his supporters find the elites in the heavily Democratic microcosm of Washington to be out of touch and ineffective. Instead, they long for “doers” who stand out from the bureaucratic authorities in the US capital. With his personnel decisions, Trump also offers a projection surface for an electorate that is demanding a radical political change – and recognizes the actual message in the production itself.