‘Just makes them look guiltier’: Fox News mocked as ‘state media’ over apology follow-up

Fox News was hammered Sunday for its follow-up coverage of a solemn event that critics argue was designed to shield President Donald Trump from criticism.

The network was forced to apologize for its coverage Saturday of the dignified transfer of six U.S. service members killed in Kuwait.

At the event, Trump was sporting a baseball cap, a wardrobe choice that some critics found disrespectful given the nature of the event. Fox News’ coverage of the dignified transfer, however, used footage from a different dignified transfer, and one where Trump appeared hatless.

Fox News again covered the event on Sunday, and in one segment, appeared to use the correct footage, but only clips that omitted Trump entirely.

“Fox’s dignified transfer footage now just completely excludes Trump,” wrote Acyn Torabi, the senior digital editor for Meidas Touch, in a social media post on X Sunday, alongside a clip of the new Fox News segment.

Critics were quick to call Fox News’ motivations into question.

“This just makes them look guiltier,” wrote journalist and media analyst Juliet Jeske in a social media post on X Sunday. “If it was a mistake then why not show the footage with Trump in the white baseball cap?”

Democratic Party activist and political content creator Harry Sisson condemned Fox News as “state-run media,” and argued the network would “do anything to protect Trump.” And John Collins, a popular political commentator with more than 215,000 followers on X, came to a similar conclusion.