Fox News anchor Bret Baier publicly corrected former President Donald Trump on Thursday, refuting a social media post in which Trump referred to a Fox News correspondent as a "flunky." The exchange occurred minutes after Trump criticized reporting by Special Report Chief Correspondent Jonathan Hunt concerning the administration's economic strategy toward Iran.
Trump took issue with Hunt's report, which stated there had been "no significant developments" between the U.S. and Iran and noted China's rejection of new U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil buyers. Trump described the reporting as "particularly inaccurate" and asserted, "Bret Baier should straighten out his flunkies for a change."
Baier, addressing the post live on air, defended Hunt, stating, "Jonathan is not a flunky. He's a great reporter." Baier clarified that the report had not claimed Trump was seeking a meeting with Iranian officials, but rather that producers had played a clip of Trump telling reporters, "There's not a lot to speak with Iran, we are not looking to meet or anything, the [Strait of Hormuz] is open."
"You didn’t want to meet, and there are negotiations," Baier stated, emphasizing that Hunt's report also covered Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's efforts to secure G20 countries' cooperation on the economic strategy. Baier added, "Gulf State allies, including Qatar, are inside Tehran trying to get Iran to agree to concessions. That’s what we said."
Following Baier's on-air response, some users on social media platform X criticized the anchor's reaction. Baier engaged with these users, defending his decision to correct what he described as inaccurate information. Trump is known to be an avid viewer of cable news, and has previously influenced media narratives, as noted in past reports regarding his interactions with financial news programs.
Baier, Fox News' chief political correspondent, has frequently interviewed Trump. The former president has also historically tapped Fox News personalities for roles in his administration.