Fox News anchor Bret Baier revealed that he has directly asked former President Donald Trump to stop referring to journalists as the “enemy of the people.”
In a recent interview on The New Yorker Radio Hour, Baier discussed his complicated relationship with Trump, noting that while the president has made him a target — once calling him “nasty” following a 2023 interview — he has still been one of the most media-accessible presidents in modern history.
“I wish he wouldn’t use it,” Baier said, referring to Trump’s repeated use of the “enemy of the people” label for members of the press. Baier said he’s addressed the issue with Trump face-to-face.
Despite his disagreements with Trump over his rhetoric, Baier acknowledged the former president’s willingness to engage with media outlets, even those he frequently criticizes. “It’s part of who he is,” Baier said. “He likes to define his opponents before they define him — that’s how he’s operated since his days in New York real estate.”
Baier added that while Trump often lashes out at the press, he still grants interviews to the very journalists he attacks publicly. “It’s a kind of cat-and-mouse dynamic,” he said.
Tensions between the Trump administration and the press have intensified in recent weeks following U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. On Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth harshly responded to a question from Fox News national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin, who asked whether the U.S. had confirmed that all enriched uranium was destroyed in the strikes.
“Jennifer, you’ve been about the worst,” Hegseth snapped, accusing her of misrepresenting the president’s statements regarding the success of Operation Midnight Hammer.
Trump’s renewed hostility toward the press — and his administration’s pushback on reporters like Griffin — has reignited concerns about the treatment of journalists during his second term.
