Fox News Channel is hosting a town hall with President Donald Trump on Thursday, March 5, at 6:30 p.m. ET, according to a Friday announcement. The town hall comes after months of Trump criticizing the network he used to praise.
The announcement came from Fox News Media president and executive editor Jay Wallace, who said, “We are pleased to host incumbent President Donald Trump for his first town hall of the 2020 election cycle. As Americans continue deliberating their choice for president, FOX News Channel is proud to provide a platform for candidates across the political spectrum to inform the public on their stances.”
“Special Report” anchor Bret Baier and “The Story” anchor Martha MacCallum are set to moderate the town hall, which will be hosted at the Scranton Cultural Center in Scranton, Pennsylvania, a battleground state which Trump won in 2016 with 48.18% of the votes. (Democratic rival Hillary Clinton earned 47.46%.) The primary in that state is slated for late April.
The three Democratic presidential candidates who did the best in early primary contests in Iowa and New Hampshire this month also happened to be the three who took their message to Fox News viewers in the form of town halls and other appearances.
In recent months, the president has attacked with more frequency the network he once lauded. Earlier this month, he insulted anchor Neil Cavuto, citing former Fox News anchor Shepard Smith to suggest a “ratings draught” could make Cavuto a former anchor, too. However, a review of Nielsen ratings data shows that Cavuto’s 4 p.m. ET show, “Your World,” is seeing immense gains compared to this month last year — while other competitors in that time slot are falling behind their previous numbers.