Donald Trump Jr. had people rolling their eyes after he complained that Fox News is a "RINO network"—employing the acronym for "Republican In Name Only"—that is now "biased" against his father President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement amid the ongoing government shutdown.
The federal government shut down last week after the White House and Congress failed to reach an agreement on federal spending. While Senate Democrats are in the minority, they hold enough seats to filibuster and are insisting that Republicans agree to extend federal subsidies for people insured under the Affordable Care Act.
Trump Jr. spoke in response to concerns from a Newsmax host that Fox appears to be lending legitimacy to Democrats' contentions that the shutdown is not "about health care for illegal aliens."
He said:
"Well, it is about health care for illegal aliens, that's very clear. But that's the problem. Conservatives... they want to show both sides. They let someone talk for hours unfettered without anyone pushing back, without any resistance. They allow anyone to spew their narrative which is, as we've seen for the last few years, all lies."
"That's what happens when you have a more RINO network. They want to be loved, they just want the power, they don't care, it's about clickbait. They do that whereas the left, they go full, all-in, no matter what."
"We're playing different games as always so it's a shame to actually see that. Honestly, I don't watch it anymore because it's so ridiculous. They try so hard to be unbiased that they're actually biased toward conservatives at this point. It's pretty ridiculous but this shouldn't surprise us."
"These are networks that banned... I was banned for two-and-a-half years, I'm barely on anymore. My father was banned. They were giving lap dances to other presidential candidates."
"They wanted a puppet candidate. They wanted someone who answered only to them. They don't get that with Trump and they're upset about it."
You can hear what he said in the video below.
Trump Jr.'s rant was pretty outrageous given how much the network sings his father's praises already—and people mocked him profusely.
Trump Jr.'s remarks about Fox came just a couple of days after his father slammed the network after its White House correspondent Peter Doocy interviewed Arizona Democratic Senator Mark Kelly about the government shutdown and healthcare.
After Kelly spoke about one of his constituents, one of "the real people who are going to see the price of healthcare skyrocket" due to the GOP's refusal to negotiate in good faith, Trump gave Fox an ultimatum, saying the conservative network needs to "get on board, or get off board, NOW."
Trump claimed "The FAKE SPIN is so bad for Republicans that it is hard to believe that we WIN" and insisted that those in charge at Fox, a network known for often deferential and fawning coverage of the Trump administration, "suck up the ratings because of us, and then spin them in the Democrats' direction."
