From friend to foe: Behind the tangled relationship between Rupert Murdoch and Donald Trump

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President Trump once called Rupert Murdoch “my very good friend.”

However, the 94-year-old media mogul, who has seen his wealth grow alongside Trump’s political rise, has surprisingly become a formidable adversary.

As a movie buff reminiscing on past events, I can’t help but reflect on the controversy that surfaced back in 2021 regarding an article published by The Wall Street Journal. They claimed that I, allegedly, penned a suggestive letter to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003. Now, let me be clear: I never sent such a message. In my eyes, it’s nothing more than a fabrication. Last month, I took action by filing a defamation suit worth $10 billion against Dow Jones & Co., Murdoch, and others, in response to these baseless accusations.

In my perspective as a movie critic, I find myself drawn to the intriguing narrative unfolding in the public sphere, revolving around a tycoon who commands one of the most influential conservative media empires globally. This high-profile individual is now under intense scrutiny, having ignited the ire of the current president. The drama continues to unfold, making for quite an engaging spectacle.

In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump expressed his expectation that Rupert and those close to him are eager for the numerous depositions and testimonies they’ll have to give in this case. This comment appears to be a reference to “Fox & Friends,” one of his preferred TV shows. Regarding The Journal, he described it as a repulsive and unclean periodical, while Murdoch’s newspaper was called a “heap of garbage.

Last week, Trump’s legal team increased the pressure in an unexpected attempt to compel Murdoch to attend a deposition immediately. In their motion, Trump’s lawyers pointed out Murdoch’s age and health issues such as a recent fainting incident, a broken back over the past five years, a torn Achilles tendon, and atrial fibrillation. These conditions, they argued, might make it difficult for Murdoch to provide in-person testimony during the trial due to his unavailability.

Through a spokesman, Murdoch declined to comment.

As an avid observer, I can’t help but be captivated by the intriguing dance between these two colossal figures, whose history stretches back nearly half a century. Rupert Murdoch, the Aussie-born media mogul, made his mark in the U.S. by acquiring the New York Post, a tabloid known for its bold, attention-grabbing headlines. Interestingly, Donald Trump, then a budding New York real estate magnate, found a platform to boost his fame through the paper’s celebrity-craving Page Six section.

Over time, Fox News grew to be a significant supporter of Trump. They consistently showered him with favorable coverage which played a crucial role in his transition from a popular television personality to an icon for his “Make America Great Again” supporters.

In my perspective, the cable network granted me an opportunity to propagate my baseless “birther” theories regarding the former President Obama. Remarkably, my political ascendancy played a significant role in transforming Fox News into a formidable force in ratings and finances. This very summer, as per Nielsen’s measurement, Fox News stands as the leading network in America, outdrawing prime-time viewers from broadcast heavyweights NBC and CBS.

Additionally, several figures from Fox News have been appointed to Trump’s administration, with Pete Hegseth, who previously hosted on weekends, now serving as the Secretary of Defense.

As a movie buff, I’d put it like this: “Since way back in the ’70s, Murdoch and Trump have been like two characters in an intriguing saga. They’ve had this dynamic where they seem to gain something from each other, but every now and then, they find themselves on opposite sides.

Gabriel Kahn, a journalism professor at USC and previously a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, expressed that the underlying stress is indeed genuine.

Despite boosting Trump World significantly for the past decade, Rupert considers himself more of a kingmaker rather than a servant,” Kahn stated.

Trump’s social media history shows periods of apparent discontent towards Murdoch and his media outlets.

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In response to a $787-million defamation lawsuit brought forth by the governor, Watters stated that he had misinterpreted Newsom’s social media post regarding their conversations with the president.

The two gentlemen hold contrasting views on politics: Murdoch is recognized as a proponent of minimal government, aligning more with Reagan’s Republican ideology, but not strictly adhering to the conservative populist stance associated with MAGA, as per a political operative from the Republican party who requested anonymity.

Experts and onlookers have highlighted several instances of apparent disrespect, such as a tweet Murdoch posted in 2015, just a month after Trump announced his presidential campaign from the golden escalator at Trump Tower, which sparked controversy with inflammatory anti-immigrant remarks.

This version maintains the original’s meaning while using more conversational language and rearranging the sentence structure for clarity.

A decade back, Murdoch wondered aloud when Donald Trump would cease causing embarrassment, not just for his friends but for the entire nation as well.

As a staunch supporter, I’ve noticed that at certain moments, I’ve attempted to either recruit or bolster opponents of the presidential candidates. For instance, during the initial phase of President Biden’s term, Florida’s Republican Governor, Ron DeSantis, was frequently showered with favorable coverage on Fox News.

At that point, Trump had returned to Mar-a-Lago following the 2020 election loss, and Fox News found itself in challenging circumstances. This network was the primary channel to declare Arizona for Biden on election night, which angered Trump and his followers as they saw this action as a breach of trust, potentially undermining their arguments that the election had been rigged. As a result, Fox News experienced a rapid loss of viewers.

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Under President Trump’s tenure, Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC experienced unprecedented viewership, indicating that he continues to influence the contours of the cable news sector.

In an attempt to regain support from Trump’s followers, the network provided a stage to Trump’s representatives who proposed the idea of voting machines switching votes to Biden, even though Murdoch and other key figures understood these accusations were baseless, as evidenced by court documents.

Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic have filed lawsuits for defamation. The discovery in the Dominion lawsuit showed that two days after the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, Rupert Murdoch expressed a desire to distance himself from Trump by writing to a former executive: “We aim to make Trump irrelevant.

In a 2023 testimony, Murdoch admitted errors in propagating unsubstantiated claims. As a result, Fox Television agreed to pay Dominion $787.5 million – one of the biggest settlements for a U.S. defamation lawsuit. The Smartmatic case remains under investigation.

In simpler terms, Dodd stated that Fox News spread a significant falsehood (often referred to as “The Big Lie”) about the 2020 election results. He also implied that Rupert Murdoch, the owner of Fox News, might be reconsidering his support for those who propagated this lie, possibly due to his advanced age.

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As a devoted cinephile, I can’t help but reflect on the role I may have played in shaping the narrative on my network. In hindsight, I realize I could have taken measures to curb the spread of baseless conspiracy theories about the 2020 election being stolen by the former President and his allies on Fox News.

This kind of change wouldn’t surprise us, as Murdoch has historically backed political figures and administrations, but later withdrew his support.

In the 1970s, Murdoch, who initially supported Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, is said to have told his editors to “undermine Whitlam” politically, rather than physically. Later, in the UK during the 1990s, Murdoch distanced himself from the Conservatives following a close relationship with Margaret Thatcher. Notably, he used the influence of The Sun, one of his tabloids, to support Tony Blair’s Labor party.

Following several years of supporting the Conservative Party, The Sun made a change last year by moving back towards Labour and its leader, Keir Starmer. They expressed that “a change is needed” now.

“Murdoch has a long career of breaking what he makes,” Dodd said.

His extensive holdings, split between News Corp. and Fox Corp., enable his media outlets to display varying viewpoints. The Journal has provided more critical reporting on Trump. It exposed the secret payments Trump made to Stormy Daniels, a porn star, and Karen McDougal, a former Playboy bunny. This year, its editorial team labeled his high tariffs as “the most foolish trade war ever waged.

Despite taking a confrontational stance elsewhere, Fox News continues to stand firmly behind the president. As Dodd explained, Murdoch is strategically positioning one sector of the organization to attack while keeping Fox News in reserve, leveraging its connection with the person being criticized for mutual benefit.

Hollywood Inc.

Approximately three decades ago, Rupert Murdoch arrived in Hollywood with a capital of $250 million, investing in the 20th Century Fox movie studio, despite having minimal passion for filmmaking.

For quite some time, the influential media tycoon has enjoyed being close to authority. He was present at Donald Trump’s second inauguration in January, and he joined other business executives for a meeting in the Oval Office a short while afterwards.

According to reports, Murdoch was part of Trump’s elite group present in New Jersey on July 13, for the FIFA Club World Cup final football game.

In two days’ time, a journalist from the Journal reached out to me, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, informing that they intended to publish an article about the Epstein birthday letter, as stated in Trump’s lawsuit. Trump’s legal team swiftly countered, arguing that the accusations were baseless.

According to legal documents, Trump claims he spoke with Murdoch and Murdoch allegedly said, “I’ll handle it.” Trump further stated in a July 17 post on Truth Social that Murdoch lacked the ability to fulfill his promise.

We firmly believe in the integrity and reliability of our news reporting, and we are prepared to strongly contest this legal action.

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This week’s significant agreement was reached after numerous rounds of negotiations between influential figures, each with their own conflicting agendas, such as the President, the Ellison family, and businesswoman Shari Redstone, over a period of several months.

The legal dustup comes after a string of controversial wins for the president.

Recently, Paramount Global consented to pay Trump $16 million to resolve a disagreement regarding edits of a Kamala Harris interview on “60 Minutes”, a lawsuit that many First Amendment experts considered without basis. In December, The Walt Disney Company paid out $16 million to conclude a defamation suit initiated by Trump over inaccurate statements made by ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos. Some First Amendment experts expressed disappointment, as they believed Disney would ultimately win this case.

Donald Trump has previously surpassed George Stephanopoulos and ABC, 60 Minutes and other networks, and is eager to take legal action against and hold responsible the once-respected Wall Street Journal. He described it as having transformed into a ‘Repulsive and Dirty Publication.’

Murdoch watchers don’t expect him to capitulate.

In this unusual society we find ourselves, Rupert is among the rare individuals who could potentially challenge Trump,” Kahn stated. “Keep in mind, Rupert values news publications, breaking stories, and stirring controversy.

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2025-08-03 13:31