By The American Tribune | Created at 2026-09-03 10:26:00 | Updated at 2026-09-03 11:06:52
51 minutes ago
President Donald Trump went on the warpath against Fox News after taking issue with the network’s coverage of the ongoing war with Iran, blasting chief correspondent Jonathan Hunt as a “flunky” and demanding that anchor Bret Baier straighten out his staff. Trump accused Hunt of delivering a “particularly inaccurate report” about the state of possible talks between Washington and Tehran. Baier answered the president on live television before the broadcast ended. The anchor defended Hunt and disputed Trump’s characterization of what the segment had said.
The clash happened during the Thursday, August 27th, edition of “Special Report,” where Hunt delivered an update on the six month conflict and the pressure being placed on Iran. Hunt said there had been “no significant developments” toward ending the war and reported that the Iranian economy was being squeezed by American sanctions. The segment also addressed whether direct negotiations were taking place between Washington and Tehran. Fox aired a clip of Trump telling reporters, “We’re not looking to meet or anything.”
Hunt’s report described diplomatic moves involving Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and American allies in the Persian Gulf. The Fox correspondent reported that Bessent hoped to meet with G-20 countries as the administration worked to increase economic pressure on Iran. He also said Gulf nations, including Qatar, had representatives in Tehran attempting to secure concessions from the Iranian government. Trump took exception to the way the network presented the situation and responded on Truth Social shortly afterward.
As Trending Politics reported, Trump singled out Hunt by name before directing a sharp message at Baier. “Jonathan Hunt of FoxNews did a particularly inaccurate report on the Failing Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump wrote. “I don’t want to meet, they do. In fact, they are begging to make a deal.” He concluded, “Bret Baier should straighten out his flunkies, for a change! President DJT.”
Baier read the president’s post to viewers and immediately pushed back on the description of his colleague. “First of all, Jonathan Hunt’s not a flunky. He’s a great reporter,” Baier said. He addressed Trump directly and denied that the broadcast had claimed the president wanted to meet with Iranian officials. “Second of all, Mr. President, we didn’t say you wanted to meet,” the anchor said.
Baier continued, “In fact, we played a soundbite that you didn’t want to meet and there are no negotiations.” He said the report concerned Bessent’s hoped-for meeting with G-20 nations and efforts by Gulf allies to win concessions from Tehran. “That was what was said,” Baier concluded.
Trump kept the pressure on Iran after the exchange. Minutes after criticizing Hunt and Baier, the president posted, “Iran Is a Failing Nation!” His criticism of Hunt also followed earlier disputes with Fox personalities whose coverage or commentary he considered unfair. The president had previously targeted “Fox News Sunday” anchor Shannon Bream and liberal “The Five” co-host Jessica Tarlov.
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Trump accused Bream earlier in August of airing negative guests, charts, and polls while ignoring his administration’s accomplishments. “Watching FoxNews with Shannon Bream is always like watching the Worst of Fake News CNN,” he wrote. Trump was even more direct about Tarlov, calling on Fox executives to remove her from the network’s afternoon panel show. “She is, from her voice, to her lies, and everything else about her, one of the worst ‘personalities’ on television, a real loser! People cannot stand watching her,” Trump wrote.
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.
