The Murdochs have long played a central role in shaping and funding the Republican political agenda.
Vice President JD Vance quietly travelled to Montana recently for a closed-door meeting with Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan, CEO of Fox News and News Corp, which owns the Wall Street Journal and New York Post.
As reported by the Independent, Vance met with both Murdochs and a select group of Fox executives at the Murdoch family ranch near Dillon, Montana. The purpose of the gathering remains unclear. However, as finance chair of the Republican National Committee, Vance is currently leading the GOP’s crucial midterm fundraising efforts.
The Murdochs, whose empire is worth tens of billions, have long played a central role in shaping and funding the Republican political agenda.
Fox News has consistently backed Donald Trump and his vice president, boosting their messages while downplaying controversies and opposing voices. Trump, meanwhile, has long lavished the right-wing network with scoops, favours and exclusive interviews. After Trump and JD Vance’s highly publicised confrontation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House in February, several Fox hosts praised the pair, claiming they “loved” how they “put Zelensky in his place.”
In September, when Vance faced criticism over controversial comments about women during the presidential campaign, Fox host Laura Ingraham rushed to his defence, insisting the vice president was actually “really funny.”
During the infamous bromance spat between Trump and Elon Musk, top MAGA personalities on Fox News initially tiptoed around the cautious not to alienate Musk, whose grip on the X platform gives him considerable media clout. But once Musk dragged in the Epstein files, Fox quickly sided with Trump.
That pivot was no surprise. The right-wing media has long been obsessed with the mystery surrounding Epstein’s alleged client list, often suggesting that prominent Democrats and celebrities were involved in sex crimes linked to the disgraced financier. Musk’s claims seemed designed to fracture the MAGA base, but Fox’s swift defence of Trump showed where its true loyalty lies.
Of course, there is the occasional spat usually when Fox News reports information which fails to flatter Trump’s massive ego. Recently, for example, the channel reported on polls showing the decline in Trump’s popularity which led to an extraordinary but typical Trump attack on the presenter. Trump has never worried about killing the messenger when it comes to bad news. Ultimately though, Fox News and Trump know that they need each other. Like medieval barons, they know that they fight together or hang together.
Still, not all Murdoch-owned media has followed suit. The Wall Street Journal has continued its criticism of Trump, even after his return to the White House. Trump has fired back repeatedly, branding the paper “rotten” and “China-oriented,” and complaining that it has “truly gone to hell.”
Which raises the question: was JD Vance’s Montana trip an attempt to bring the Wall Street Journal back into the fold? With Fox News firmly in Trump’s corner, the Journal remains one of the few Murdoch outlets willing to challenge him. Whether this meeting signals a push for unity, or simply a pitch for campaign cash, remains to be seen.
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