Donald and Melania Trump Fought Over Fox News, Book Reveals the Real Reason Behind It

A book published earlier this year revealed the realities of Melania and Donald Trump's frequent frustrations behind the scenes. According to dozens of sources close to the Trumps, interviewed for Katie Rogers' American Woman: The Transformation of the Modern First Lady, from Hillary Clinton to Jill Biden, the couple had numerous arguments over various topics, including which TV shows to watch and which news channel to rely on.

One point of contention, as stated in the book, was Trump's protracted fixation on Fox News networks. The author claimed that Melania liked CNN. As reported by People, Melania, according to Rogers, watched the media's coverage of her very closely while in the White House and absorbed a lot of news. The book claimed that she shared her husband's stance on journalists who were critical of her, but that she watched CNN 'voraciously' instead of Fox News, her husband's preferred cable news station. In July 2018, the then-president had trouble with the pair due to their divergent media consumption patterns.

Donald felt 'incensed that his wife's television was tuned to CNN aboard Air Force One during an overseas trip,' according to Rogers. Moving forward, he directed that all televisions on Air Force One and in their respective hotel rooms be set to Fox News. At the time, Rogers and colleague Times writer Maggie Haberman covered the situation, citing an internal correspondence between officials in the White House.

According to an email obtained by The New York Times, Donald became enraged with his crew for not following a policy that states the White House entourage should start each trip set to Fox, his favored network over CNN, which he views as 'fake news.' As a result, 'a bit of a stir' ensued aboard Air Force One. To ensure that the president and first lady could each watch TV in their respective hotel rooms while traveling, the email, which was an internal exchange between officials in the White House Military Office and the White House Communications Agency, also requested the ordering of two extra televisions to support Beam, a streaming device similar to TiVo. Officials verified at the conclusion of the email exchange that moving forward, it will be routine operating policy to tune the TVs to Fox.

The book also specifies that the interior of The White House was a major factor in their disagreement. The White House is a political stronghold, yet each new family that comes in decorates it with their own taste. Trump's style was often ostentatious, extravagant, and golden. On the other hand, Melania preferred a more contemporary style. According to Rogers, the president once had his wife's preferences changed 'with several pieces he liked better.' Rogers revealed in the book, "Without so much as control over the decor, Melania still wanted to signal to the public that she was optimistic about her future in Washington. That's when Melania went on Twitter and wrote, "Looking forward to the memories we’ll make in our new home!" The shot obscures the room's furnishings so the viewer can make out the Washington and Jefferson memorials, which are visible from the house.