'The uglier aspects': Inside the power struggle between Fox News and Newsmax

In an article for Salon published Sunday, Sophia Tesfaye, a senior writer for the outlet, argued that Fox News ultimately held more influence than President Donald Trump — a media powerhouse from which even the president couldn’t easily escape.

She cited CNN media critic Brian Stelter, who in their Salon Talks interview had asserted that “Fox drives Trump more than Trump drives Fox.”

Stelter emphasized that the network's agenda‑setting power, especially through programs like "Fox & Friends" and primetime shows hosted by Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson — shaped Trump’s public reactions and strategic responses. He said it would have been a monumental challenge for Trump to launch a rival television channel that could match Fox’s reach and infrastructure. “Fox is bigger than Trump,” he declared.

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Tesfaye portrayed this dynamic as structural reality. Fox News was not merely a platform for Trump, it was the platform, and even Trump's efforts to court or combat it reinforced its dominance.

To illustrate how Trump’s influence also propelled competitors yet failed to displace Fox, Tesfaye wove in the rise of the conservative network Newsmax.

Founded in 1998 and launching its cable channel in 2014, Newsmax attracted Trump loyalists itchier in the wake of Fox’s 2020 election-night call in Arizona for Joe Biden. Those disappointed viewers began to switch allegiances.

She noted that Newsmax saw ratings surges, especially for shows like "Greg Kelly Reports," which at one point outperformed its Fox counterpart among the coveted 25-to-54 demographic.

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Newsmax recently filed an antitrust lawsuit against Fox News and its parent company, claiming the latter used its market dominance to suppress competition. The lawsuit alleged that Fox pressured distributors to exclude Newsmax or limit its reach, engaged in intimidation tactics, and deployed exclusionary contracts to maintain its unrivaled status in right-leaning pay‑TV. Newsmax sought triple damages and injunctive relief in the Southern District of Florida.

Fox, however, dismissed the lawsuit as an attempt by Newsmax to mask its own shortcomings.

"Filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida this week, the case landed on the docket of Judge Aileen Cannon, who became infamous for dragging out Trump’s classified documents case. On Friday she dismissed Newsmax’s suit and gave the network until Sept. 11 to refile. 'Each count must identify the particular legal basis for liability and contain specific factual allegations that support each cause of action within each count,' Cannon ordered," the article noted.

“Since Trump returned to office in January, Newsmax has helped launder the uglier aspects of Trump’s presidency, like when host Greg Kelly took a bizarre pro-Ghislaine Maxwell turn after the convicted sex trafficker was moved to a minimum security prison. As payback for the network’s blind loyalty, Newsmax apparently thinks it is owed a bigger slice of the MAGA media pie," Tesfaye wrote.

She added: "But Fox News has proven too powerful for even Trump to take down. After Cannon’s dismissal of Newsmax’s suit, the ball is now back in the network’s court."

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