Fox News Goes After Judge in Trump’s Hush-Money Trial for Him

Donald Trump has attacked the judge in his hush-money trial so much that it earned him a massive gag order. Now Fox News is defending Trump by justifying the attacks.

“The judge is threatening to put Trump in jail by pointing out that his liberal family is getting rich off this trial,” Fox host Jesse Watters said Tuesday night. “He just wants a new judge—one whose family isn’t funded by Democrats.”

Trump’s attacks go far beyond simply requesting a new judge. The Republican presidential nominee has repeatedly attacked Judge Juan Merchan, his daughter, and his court staff and their families.

Trump has even mentioned Merchan’s daughter by name and posted her picture to his Truth Social account. Except, these attacks are based on a falsehood: Trump targeted the judge’s daughter for allegedly sharing a doctored photo of Trump behind bars on social media, which was quickly debunked after a representative for the New York state court system pointed out that the account wasn’t hers.

Jury selection in Trump’s trial is scheduled to begin on April 15. He faces 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal hush-money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels in order to cover up an extramarital affair.

It’s only the latest attempt by Fox News to defend the former president’s actions. On Tuesday, Fox News presenter and former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany claimed that Trump’s $454 million bond was unfair, as the former president committed a “victimless crime.” And the attacks on Merchan’s daughter have come from the president’s other allies, including his son Donald Jr., going back to last year.

Fox contributors have seen their loyalty rewarded. On Tuesday night, Trump promoted Watters’s new book, Get It Together: Troubling Tales From the Liberal Fringe, in a Truth Social post.