Donald Trump lashed out at Fox News in a profanity-laced tirade as the first 2026 midterm polls closed, texting a host live on air to blast a liberal co-anchor and declare his own polling superior.
Trump, 78, spent Tuesday evening erupting on Truth Social after the network’s “Voter Poll” painted a grim picture for Republicans, with 87 percent of exit poll respondents citing grave concerns over soaring gas prices and 62 percent blaming Trump’s own policies. His personal approval rating in the same surveys stood at just 38 percent, matching dismal figures reported and CNN.
Refusing to accept the numbers, Trump launched into a blistering broadside against the network’s polling unit on Truth Social. “The FoxNews Poll, always the worst, is so insulting with the questions they ask. Every question is a hit job, and every answer is ‘BULLS**!’ This has been going on for years,” he wrote.
The President then pivoted his fury toward Fox News’ “The Five,” singling out resident liberal co-host Jessica Tarlov, 41, for personal ridicule. “Watching the Pre-Election Results on FoxNews, but I can’t stand Jessica Tarlov’s voice — DUMB AS A ROCK, but it’s the voice that gets me. Have to go somewhere else until that LOSER is off the air — I’ll be back later!” he posted.
Taking his grievances straight into the studio, Trump texted co-host Greg Gutfeld, 60, in the middle of the live broadcast. Gutfeld read the President’s rant directly over the airwaves: “Greg, tell Tarlov – who is the WORST – gas prices are lower than they were for Biden and Obama and they allowed Iran to have the nuclear bomb. Furthermore, I inherited the worst prices and inflation in history from Sleepy Joe. Prices are heading down FAST! Just like all other prices and so is inflation which is 1.7 percent. And there will be no ‘nuclear bomb.'”
Tarlov wasted little time hitting back on social media. “I realize my comments highlighting the highest gas prices on any Election Day aggravated the president, but reality is a tricky thing and he should get better at dealing with it,” she wrote.
Escalating the dispute beyond individual pundits, Trump claimed Fox News’ total audience had plummeted by 27 percent because the network spends “too much time covering the Trump Deranged Dumocrats!” “It’s them, not me — My numbers are better than they have ever been,” he claimed, touting favorable internal party polling while accusing parent company Fox Corp. Of actively bankrolling top Democrats including Hakeem Jeffries, Jamie Raskin, Ted Lieu, and Pete Aguilar. “No wonder FoxNews Ratings are collapsing… They’re way down, not because of me, but because they are AGAINST me!” he insisted on Truth Social.
Trump’s public unraveling unfolded as his own allies on the network openly braced for catastrophic midterm losses. Fox host Jesse Watters, 46, struck a despondent tone about the potential loss of congressional control on air. “I don’t feel great. I feel like I’m about to play a game that I know I’m gonna lose,” Watters admitted. “Getting hurt would mean you lose the Senate. And right now the Senate is very much in play! And it’s making me angry! But I knew this was coming.”
With more than 100 million ballots cast across 435 House seats and 35 Senate races, Republicans hold a razor-thin 218–214 majority in the House, meaning Democrats need a net pickup of just three seats to hand the Speaker’s gavel to Jeffries. Over in the Senate, Democrats must flip four seats to dismantle the GOP’s 53–47 advantage.
Facing the reality of a divided government engulfed by inevitable congressional investigations into his administration, Trump signaled he is ready for total legislative warfare, saying over the phone that he will aggressively wield executive power. “I have the ultimate power,” Trump warned. “It’s called ‘veto.'”
Despite making an early morning appearance on the network to rally Republican voters, Trump’s evening meltdown marked a dramatic rupture with the conservative cable giant that has long served as his media home base.