Staff Reports
A Fox News panel staunchly defended the network’s decision to call former President Donald Trump as the winner of the Iowa caucuses, despite facing fierce backlash from critics on both the right and the left for making the call prematurely.
Fox News Panel Addresses Criticism of Early Call for Trump
https://t.co/wwG4AcIHNg— PJ Media (@PJMedia_com) January 16, 2024
The DeSantis campaign lambasted the early call, labeling it as “election interference.” DeSantis Communications Director Andrew Romeo lambasted the media for allegedly favoring Trump and accused them of engaging in egregious election interference.
Anchor Bret Baier defended the early call, emphasizing the use of the Fox News voter analysis and the Associated Press data to make the projection. Despite the controversy surrounding the timing of the call, Baier asserted that the official time for characterizing the race is when the doors close for the caucuses.
Chief political analyst Brit Hume echoed the sentiment, brushing off concerns about calling the races too soon, especially in the context of caucus voting. He contended that the impact of premature calls on caucus-goers’ voting behavior is highly doubtful, given that the doors have closed and people are already gathered to participate.
Overall, the Fox News panel stood firm in its defense of the early call, emphasizing the network’s reliance on data and rejecting claims of election interference.
