Donald Trump Blasts Fox News After New California Poll
President Donald Trump criticized Fox News for airing a piece on billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer after a new poll showed the Democrat leading Republican Steve Hilton in the race to be California’s next governor.
Steyer has emerged as the favorite in the race after Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell dropped out on Sunday and announced he would be resigning from Congress after sexual misconduct allegations. A new poll from SurveyUSA, shared on Tuesday, showed Steyer as the top candidate, maintaining a narrow lead over Hilton, with 21 percent of likely voters to Hilton’s 18 percent.
In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Trump called out Fox News for giving Steyer a platform.
“Why is FoxNews showing SLEAZEBAG Tom Steyer, doing a big piece on him right now, and probably putting him "into play," instead of talking about Republican Candidates, and really good ones like Steve Hilton, and Republicans?” Trump wrote in his post. “How can a Republican expect to win that State, with their Mail In Voting and Rigged Elections, when you have FoxNews promoting the Democrats? Nobody cares about Tom Steyer, he is a LOSER, but Fox is making it possible for a guy like this to win. VOTE FOR STEVE HILTON, AND TURN CALIFORNIA AROUND! President DONALD J. TRUMP”
When reached for comment, a spokesperson with Steyer’s campaign referred Newsweek to a post Steyer made on X in response to Trump.
“California: The man who brought you $8 gasoline would like you to vote for Steve Hilton,” Steyer said, including a screenshot of Trump’s Truth Social post.
Newsweek reached out to Fox News via email for comment.
Trump has been a vocal critic of current California Governor Gavin Newsom, who cannot run for reelection because of term limits. The president endorsed Hilton earlier this month.
“It’s all about turnout. It’s about who does best is the party or candidate that gets their voters out to vote. And so the president’s endorsement is a very powerful driver of turnout and enthusiasm among Republican voters,” Hilton told Newsweek. “I think we’re looking good for a strong Republican turnout as the starting point towards putting together a winning coalition.”
The last Republican governor of California was Arnold Schwarzenegger, who served from 2003 to 2011.
Trump’s post on Wednesday is only the most recent example of the president lashing out at Fox News, which was once widely seen as his most reliable media ally. While he continues to appear on and praise the network, Trump has at times expressed public frustration with it, particularly after its early projection that Joe Biden would win Arizona in the 2020 election.
Last week, the president criticized two Fox News hosts, singling out Fox News Sunday host Shannon Bream in a Truth Social post, accusing her of failing to challenge Democratic representatives on her “not very hard hitting show,” and for incorrectly referring to the Republican-backed “Save America Act” as the “Save Act.”
He also criticized Democratic strategist Jessica Tarlov, who appears on The Five, urging executives to remove her from the air and calling her a “loser” whom viewers cannot “stand watching.”
Newsweek's reporters and editors used Martyn, our Al assistant, to help produce this story. Learn more about Martyn.
2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 12:47 PM.