But his role vis-a-vis Trump this cycle has confounded many, including colleagues at Fox. “I don’t watch his show anymore,” said one Fox News source. “It’s very predictable. He’s had Donald Trump on more than anyone, and how many of those shows have made news? None.”…
“I can understand ratings,” the Fox News source said. “I don’t like them, but I understand them. I can’t understand the abandonment of conservatism.”…
But that’s not to say that Hannity has always favored Trump in this particular election, or that his motivation during that time was to help him succeed in the race. Last summer, Hannity held a panel on his show with two guests. The topic was the nascent primary campaign that summer, and particularly Trump, who at the time was still considered an entertaining anomaly by most of the media and political class. After the segment wrapped up, according to one of the guests on the panel, Hannity turned to his two guests to ask them if they thought Trump could win. Neither did — and nor did Hannity, who laughed about Trump’s candidacy and said he didn’t think he could win the nomination, referring to him as an “idiot” in over his head, according to one of the panelists who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Hannity says he never said any of this and described the anecdote as “total bullshit,” saying “those words never came out of my mouth.”
Join the conversation as a VIP Member