President Donald Trump weighed in Thursday night after Fox News Media abruptly parted ways with longtime anchor Maria Bartiromo, warning that her many supporters would not be pleased with the network’s decision.
“I can’t believe Maria Bartiromo is no longer going to have her great show(s) on FoxNews/Business,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Three different shows, always number one. Maria is a total professional, and a true warrior. Her fans, of which there are many, will not be happy. God bless you, Maria!” the president continued before signing the post with his name.
Fox News Media announced Bartiromo’s departure Thursday, bringing her 12-and-a-half-year tenure at the network to an immediate end. The company publicly described the move as a “business decision,” according to Reuters.
Reports from Status and Puck said Bartiromo had shared confidential internal guidance with members of the Trump White House.
According to those reports, Bartiromo sent senior White House officials a screenshot of instructions telling Fox Business employees not to lend credibility to Trump’s claims involving the 2020 election and China following a July primetime address.
Fox executives reportedly discovered that the internal directives had been disclosed after the network received a phone call from the White House.
Mediaite later reported that the incident was the final straw in a “confluence of factors” that led to Bartiromo’s removal.
Other reported factors included her involvement in coverage at the center of Fox’s $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems and the network’s continuing litigation with Smartmatic.
The decision also reportedly followed a May segment in which businessman Kevin O’Leary made allegations about opponents of his proposed Utah data center. O’Leary later retracted those claims.
Bartiromo had reportedly become isolated from colleagues during the weeks leading up to her departure. Even members of her own staff were allegedly instructed to contact management before communicating directly with the anchor.
Fox also parted ways Thursday with “Mornings With Maria” executive producer Patrick Ignozzi, according to reporting from Puck.
The network offered few details in its official announcement.
“Effective today, Maria Bartiromo is no longer with FOX News Media,” the company said.
“We thank Maria for her work over the last 12 ½ years and wish her all the best on her next chapter,” the statement continued.
Trump was not the only member of his family to publicly criticize the development.
Eric Trump called Bartiromo “the best interviewer on television” in a social media post Thursday and declared, “This is a huge loss for Fox.”
The president’s reaction praised Bartiromo’s professionalism and record at Fox while making clear that he expects her sudden departure to spark anger among the veteran financial journalist’s audience.
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