President Donald Trump turned on Fox News in the middle of election night on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, accusing the network of hostile coverage as midterm results came in and saying he had stopped watching in disgust. Watching from the White House, Trump fired off a series of posts on Truth Social, reported at 7:35 p.m. ET, in which he singled out liberal contributor Jessica Tarlov and dismissed the Fox News Poll as, in his words, "always the worst."

The outburst came while voters' verdicts were still being counted across the country.

Key Points

• President Donald Trump attacked Fox News on Truth Social on election night, Tuesday, November 3, 2026, as midterm results arrived.
• He said he stopped watching in disgust over contributor Jessica Tarlov, calling her "DUMB AS A ROCK" and saying he would return only when she was off the air.
• In a follow-up post, Trump called the Fox News Poll "always the worst", saying every question was a hit job and every answer was "BULLS–T!"
• He claimed Fox News ratings were "collapsing" and down 27 percent, blaming too much coverage of Democrats, while citing a CNN poll putting him at 99 percent among Republicans.
• Fox News had its lowest-rated month since December 2023 in October, averaging 1.1 million total-day viewers and 98,000 in the key 25-54 age group, according to Status.

What Happened

According to reports of the posts, Trump began with Tarlov, a Democratic strategist who appears regularly on Fox News panels. "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 wrote.

Minutes later, he turned to the network's polling. "Every question is a hit job, and every answer is 'BULLS–T!'" he wrote of the Fox News Poll, a survey operation whose findings are routinely cited across American media, including by the network's own anchors and by rival outlets.

Trump then broadened the attack to the channel itself, claiming its ratings were collapsing and down 27 percent, and blaming what he described as excessive coverage of Democrats. In the same burst of posts, he pointed to a CNN poll that, he said, put his standing at 99 percent among Republicans — a figure he presented as a contrast to Fox's findings.

Background and Context

Trump's relationship with Fox News has run hot and cold for a decade. The network was central to his rise in 2016, gave his presidency a vast and loyal television audience, and remains the most-watched cable news channel in the United States. At the same time, Trump has repeatedly attacked it when its polls show him trailing, when its anchors press his allies, or when its commentators include critics of his administration.

Tarlov has often been at the centre of that tension. As the liberal voice on panels dominated by conservative hosts, she regularly challenges Republican talking points on air, and Trump has singled her out before. His election-night complaint about her voice, rather than a specific argument she made, underlined how personal the latest clash had become.

Trump, Fox News and the Election Night Break

The Trump Fox News election night break fits a pattern that has repeated through his political career: praise for the network when its coverage is favourable, and public denunciation when it is not. Polls have been a particular flashpoint. Trump has long dismissed surveys that show him behind, while promoting those that show him ahead, and election nights have often produced his sharpest attacks on pollsters.

On this occasion, the target was not only a poll but the network's whole election-night presentation. By saying he had stopped watching, Trump was also sending a message to his supporters: that they, too, should look elsewhere for the night's news. For a president whose political movement has grown up alongside cable television, that instruction carries weight, even if many of his supporters were already watching Fox.

Reactions and Quotes

Trump's own words were the story. "I can't stand Jessica Tarlov's voice — DUMB AS A ROCK, but it's the voice that gets me," he wrote, before adding: "Have to go somewhere else until that LOSER is off the air — I'll be back later!"

On polling, he wrote that the Fox News Poll was "always the worst", adding: "Every question is a hit job, and every answer is 'BULLS–T!'" The posts drew swift attention online, where supporters echoed his criticism of Tarlov and critics accused the president of attacking the press for reporting results he did not like.

Why It Matters

The clash matters because Fox News is not just another channel for Trump: it is the main television home of the Republican coalition he leads. A public break, even a temporary one, can shift where millions of voters get their election-night information and how they interpret results that are still being counted.

It also matters for trust in polling. When a president calls a major network's poll a "hit job" on the night votes are being counted, it feeds scepticism about surveys and about the media's reporting of results. That scepticism has, in past elections, made it harder for the public to accept close or slow-moving counts.

What Happens Next

Trump said he would return to Fox News once Tarlov was off the air, suggesting the boycott, if it can be called that, may be short-lived. Whether he follows through, and whether Fox adjusts its election-night line-up in response, will become clear in the coming days.

More broadly, the relationship will be tested again as the midterm results are finalised and as attention turns to the final two years of Trump's term. Past experience suggests reconciliation is likely — but so is another public row the next time a poll or a panel displeases the president.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Trump say about Fox News on election night?

Trump said he stopped watching Fox News in disgust over Jessica Tarlov, called the Fox News Poll "always the worst", and claimed the network's ratings were collapsing.

Who is Jessica Tarlov?

Jessica Tarlov is a Democratic strategist and liberal contributor who appears regularly on Fox News panels, often debating conservative hosts and guests.

When did Trump post the criticism?

The posts were reported at 7:35 p.m. ET on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, as midterm election results were coming in.

Was Fox News ratings really down?

Fox News had its lowest-rated month since December 2023 in October, averaging 1.1 million total-day viewers and 98,000 viewers aged 25-54, according to Status, though it remained the most-watched cable news channel.

Has Trump attacked Fox News before?

Yes. Trump has repeatedly praised and attacked Fox News over the past decade, particularly over its polling and over coverage he considers too favourable to Democrats, including clashes in September and October 2026.

For more on election night, see our reports on Jon Ossoff's re-election win in Georgia, the midterm exit polls, and Mark Warner's fourth Virginia Senate term.