Warren turns down Fox town hall invite, rips network as 'hate-for-profit racket'

WORNSHOESBLOG September 7, 2020

Sen. Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth WarrenWarren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases OVERNIGHT DEFENSE: Joint Chiefs chairman says he regrets participating in Trump photo-op | GOP senators back Joint Chiefs chairman who voiced regret over Trump photo-op | Senate panel approves 0B defense policy bill Trump on collision course with Congress over bases with Confederate names MORE (D-Mass.) said Tuesday that she will not participate in a town hall event with Fox News, blasting the network as a “hate-for-profit machine.”

“I’ve done 57 media avails and 131 interviews, taking over 1,100 questions from press just since January,” the 2020 presidential candidate wrote in a series of tweets. “Fox News is welcome to come to my events just like any other outlet. But a Fox News town hall adds money to the hate-for-profit machine. To which I say: hard pass.” 

Warren sent out a fundraising email to supporters shortly after the announcement, doubling down on her denouncement of the network.

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“Fox News is a hate-for-profit racket that gives a megaphone to racists and conspiracists — it’s designed to turn us against each other, risking life and death consequences, to provide cover for the corruption that’s rotting our government and hollowing out our middle class,” Warren wrote in the email.

“Hate-for-profit works only if there’s profit, so Fox News balances a mix of bigotry, racism, and outright lies with enough legit journalism to make the claim to advertisers that it’s a reputable news outlet,” she added.

Her decision bucks recent trends in her own party, coming after a number of other 2020 Democrats have held town halls on the network.

Last month, Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersThe Hill’s 12:30 Report: Milley apologizes for church photo-op Harris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk Biden courts younger voters — who have been a weakness MORE (I-Vt.) was featured in a live event from Bethlehem, Pa., that drew nearly 2.6 million viewers, making it the most-watched town hall of the year. 
 
Sen. Amy KlobucharAmy KlobucharHillicon Valley: Biden calls on Facebook to change political speech rules | Dems demand hearings after Georgia election chaos | Microsoft stops selling facial recognition tech to police Democrats demand Republican leaders examine election challenges after Georgia voting chaos Harris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk MORE (D-Minn.) appeared in a Fox town hall last week, drawing 1.6 million total viewers. 

And South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete ButtigiegPete ButtigiegScaled-back Pride Month poses challenges for fundraising, outreach Biden hopes to pick VP by Aug. 1 It’s as if a Trump operative infiltrated the Democratic primary process MORE will appear in a Fox News town hall on Sunday, while Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) will be featured on June 2. 
 
The decisions to appear on the network by other contenders come even after the Democratic National Committee (DNC) barred Fox News in March from hosting a Democratic presidential primary debate over what DNC Chairman Tom PerezThomas Edward PerezClinton’s top five vice presidential picks Government social programs: Triumph of hope over evidence Labor’s ‘wasteful spending and mismanagement” at Workers’ Comp MORE characterized as the network’s reported close ties with the Trump administration.

But Warren in March called Fox News “a propaganda machine” after the DNC’s decision to ban the network from hosting a primary debate.

“It just looks like a propaganda machine,” she told MSNBC. But Warren also added that she appreciated the value of reaching a wide variety of voters. 

“I want to be able to get out and talk to everyone,” she said. “I want to be in everybody’s living room.”

Warren has been climbing up in recent polls, as her almost single-minded focus on policy and her ambitious field organizing show signs of paying off.

The senator has done two town halls for CNN, with her latest for the network in April garnering praise from political pundits. 

Former Rep. John DelaneyJohn DelaneyThe Hill’s Coronavirus Report: Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas says country needs to rethink what ‘policing’ means; US cases surpass 2 million with no end to pandemic in sight Minnesota AG Keith Ellison says racism is a bigger problem than police behavior; 21 states see uptick in cases amid efforts to reopen The Hill’s Coronavirus Report: Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan says there will be consequences from fraying US-China relations; WHO walks back claims on asymptomatic spread of virus MORE (D-Md.), who is also vying for the party’s nomination, offered to take Warren’s place in a Fox News town hall, saying Democrats needed to “talk to all voters.” 
 
“If you’re not using your town hall, I will. Democratic candidates have to campaign everywhere and talk to all voters,” Delaney wrote on Twitter.   

Sanders, a close progressive rival to Warren, drew praise for his Fox News town hall, which was seen as a bid to appeal to more conservative Trump voters who tend to favor the network. 

Klobuchar urged other Democrats to appear on Fox News. 

“One of the reasons I came on this show is that I believe candidates for office, whether Democrat or Republican, have to go not just where it’s comfortable, but where it’s uncomfortable,” Klobuchar told Fox News anchor Bret Baier in February. 

“Fox may not always be comfortable for Democrats, but I want to make that point,” she later added.

Updated 12:03 p.m.