President Trump reportedly mocks Fox News host Sean Hannity behind his back, criticizing him for what the President sees as overly fawning behavior.
Too many softball interview questions from Hannity
It’s no secret the Fox News host often portrays the Trump administration in a positive light. And Hannity is reportedly close with the President – close enough, in fact, to have actually appeared at a campaign rally with him recently. Hannity risked a lot of his professional reputation in doing so, and was even tut-tutted by his own network for doing so. (Fox News Admonishes Sean Hannity and Jeanine Pirro for Appearing with Trump at Rally.)
But apparently Trump thinks Hannity’s style is a tad too unctuous at times. And apparently he’s said so to a number of White House staff.
From the Daily Beast:
Donald Trump’s close relationship—on air and off—with Sean Hannity hasn’t stopped the president from mocking the Fox News star behind his back for being such a suck-up, according to three sources who have independently heard this mockery. These sources asked to remain anonymous in order to discuss private conversations with the president, and in one case also to avoid incurring the ire of Hannity, whom they called a “perfectly nice guy.”
Trump’s many radio and TV interviews, always touted as “exclusives” and rarely making any news, have been widely derided by media critics and political observers as simpering propaganda. And the president himself, a man famous for demanding relentless validation and unwavering loyalty, feels the same way.
Trump has repeatedly made fun of Hannity’s questions behind his back, knocking them as too easy, sometimes “dumb,” like he’s “not even trying.” Even the loyalty-obsessed Trump sometimes thinks Hannity is TOO sycophantic
New, from me and @LachCartwright: https://t.co/F0DuZzAQN3
— Asawin Suebsaeng (@swin24) November 15, 2018
Is it worth it for Trump to mock Hannity?
Trump could very well crack a few jokes about Hannity’s coverage to aides. But he’s also done the Fox News host a huge favor in making him his go-to guy in the media, which has resulted in spiked ratings for Hannity’s evening show. (RELATED: Fox News Continues to Dominate Cable News Ratings, Hannity on Top.)
The truth is that Hannity has been one of President Trump’s biggest champions in the media. While he may provide favorable coverage of the President, he does so to help his agenda.
Does President Trump really want to be known as a guy who mocks his friends and allies behind their back?
A solution to the tilted Trump-Hannity dynamic
Here’s a solution: Hannity could pepper his Trump interviews with a few tough questions. Nothing brutal or abrasive like other mainstream reporters. But questions that really address difficult subjects.
Perhaps Trump’s opinion of Hannity would improve after that.
Given how acrimonious the liberal media is towards the President, it’s not worth pushing away a bold truth-teller like Hannity.
