As the Donald Trump campaign continues to fume over editing practices on “60 Minutes,” Fox News is seemingly using a heavy hand to make the former president look good.
A CNN analysis of a segment in which Trump visited a Bronx barbershop with “Fox & Friends” host Lawrence Jones found that the network edited Trump’s responses to make the candidate seem more on-topic. Comparing the segment that aired to a video recorded by an attendee, CNN found that Trump’s more rambling answers and occasional lies were scrubbed from the final product.
In one striking edit, the network truncated a Trump “weave” that touched on the Keystone Pipeline, transgender athletes, and Russia in response to a question on eliminating federal taxes. The network axed footage of Jones and barbers coaxing Trump back on track, cutting straight to his eventual half-answer.
“There is a way,” Trump responded to the question.
Trump’s praise of the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was cut from the broadcast. The ex-president called the far-right leader a “very respected guy.”
The network also cut criticism of other News Corp properties from the segment after Trump criticized the Wall Street Journal and asked the audience not to listen to the advice of that outlet.
A Fox News spokesperson told CNN that the event went on for nearly an hour and was cut for time and clarity. The released cut was just under 15 minutes long.
As CNN notes, Trump’s pre-taped interview with Fox News program “MediaBuzz” was also seemingly edited, cutting Trump off after he claimed Jan 6 protesters were demonstrating against a “rigged election.”
In an appearance last week on “Fox and Friends,” Trump announced his intentions to ask Rupert Murdoch to wield more close control over his media empire to help sway the race.
Trump railed against CBS’s “60 Minutes” earlier this month for allegedly editing portions of its interview with Harris, calling the practice of editing interviews “a giant fake news scam” and arguing that the network should have their broadcast license revoked.
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