Trump Calls Fox, But Won't Hang Up

• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, May 1, 2018

From a TV news channel’s point of view, sometimes TV producers and hosts just want to end a segment -- no matter how compelling the content is.

There are time constraints. Commercial breaks to handle. Other guests to consider and/or other business to address.

But what if your phone call is from the President?

Toward the end of the 30-minute call on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” last Thursday -- as a somewhat manic President Trump rambled  from one topic to another -- Brian Kilmeade, one of the three hosts on the show, decided to put the brakes on:

“We’d talk with you all day. But it looks like you have a million things to do.”

Maybe viewers and others thought Trump needed to focus on North Korea, the opioid crisis, international tariffs, or something other than speaking on the Fox News Channel show.

The interview -- especially by the end -- was nonstop, an almost breathless rant by Trump. You had to wonder -- maybe someone in the White House could have given the President the wrap-up sign?

The next day, Trump Administration senior staffer Kellyanne Conway said Trump may want to come on the show -- once a month. (Nice get!) But when or where? "He’ll keep us guessing,” says Conway.

All this may be old news to many, but before running for President, Trump was a regular guest on “Fox & Friends. On this last episode, Trump bashed his usual suspects: James Comey, the Justice Department and fake news.

Now on to the advertisers.

On the Fox News Channel website, one can see the entire 30-minute Trump interview  -- there was a non-skippable 15-second pre-roll commercial from Cadillac on the site.

On the TV channel, for those that bought advertising time that day, the list included Nutrisystem, Men’s Wearhouse, Lamb Weston, Claritin, Stein Mart, BASF, Stihl, SurePayroll, Carvana and the American Petroleum Institute.

Maybe a few more pharmaceuticals would have worked well. Some sort of calming over-the-counter medications would have helped all participants. Viewers needed to catch their breaths, too.