Fox News host Laura Ingraham says Donald Trump should accept 'the unfavorable outcome' of the election with 'grace and composure' as Rupert Murdoch's outlets shift tone to prepare for president's defeat
Fox News host Laura Ingraham has said Donald Trump should accept 'the unfavorable outcome' of the election with 'grace and composure', as several of Rupert Murdoch's right-wing news outlets shifted tone to prepare for the president's defeat.
Ingraham appeared to send Trump advice Friday night to bow out of the White House race gracefully in order to preserve his 'legacy' and focus on 'moving the country forward'.
The anchor, who has long backed Trump, admitted his defeat would be a 'gut punch' before insisting she was 'not conceding anything tonight'.
This comes as several conservative media outlets owned by Rupert Murdoch seemed to switch their messaging in recent days as Joe Biden increases his lead in the critical swing states left in play.
The front cover of Saturday's edition of the New York Post - which last month exposed emails from Hunter Biden's laptop and in October publicly endorsed Trump on its front cover - all but declared Biden's victory while the Wall Street Journal's editorial board penned an opinion piece warning Trump his 'legacy will be diminished greatly if his final act is a bitter refusal to accept a legitimate defeat.'
Biden currently leads with 253 to Trump's 214 electoral college votes and the Democrat is ahead in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia and Arizona where counting continues Saturday.
Fox News host Laura Ingraham has said Donald Trump should accept 'the unfavorable outcome' of the election with 'grace and composure', as several of Rupert Murdoch's right-wing news outlets shifted tone to prepare for the president's defeat
Ingraham appeared to prepare viewers - and the president himself - for the growing inevitability of his defeat in her segment on Fox News Friday night calling for Republicans to 'learn from our defeats'.
'If there is no path for Donald Trump's second term, it doesn't mean the end of the 'America First' movement or his role in leading it. On the contrary, this is only the beginning,' she said.
'For now, it's time to take our gains, learn from our defeats, and confidently expand one of the greatest political movements for the past 100 years.'
She encouraged Trump to exit the White House with grace and composure, as the president has reportedly vowed to never concede.
'If and when it's time to accept an unfavorable outcome in this election - and we hope it never comes - but if and when that does happen, President Trump needs to do it with the same grace and composure that he demonstrated at that town hall with Savannah Guthrie.
'So many people remarked about his tone and presence - exactly what he needs,' she added.
Ingraham was referring to the town hall on October 15 where Trump was interviewed by Guthrie - as the two presidential candidates held solo events in replacement of the second presidential debate because Trump had refused to take part in a virtual event.
Ingraham warned a Trump loss would be a 'gut punch' to those who believe the process wasn't 'fair', alluding to the multiple baseless claims peddled by Trump that the election is being 'stolen' from him.
Ingraham appeared to send Trump advice Friday night to bow out of the White House race gracefully in order to preserve his 'legacy' and focus on 'moving the country forward'
'Now losing, especially when you believe the process wasn't fair, it's a gut punch.
'And I'm not conceding anything tonight, by the way, but losing, if that's what happens, it's awful,' Ingraham continued.
'But President Trump's legacy will only become more significant if he focuses on moving the country forward.
'Then, the love and respect his supporters feel for him, it's only going to grow stronger and his legacy more historically significant.'
Ingraham's messaging comes in tandem to the opinion piece published by the Wall Street Journal Friday where the editorial board sent an almost identical message of defeat.
In the oped, titled 'The Presidential Endgame', the board warned Trump his 'bitter refusal' to accept a loss to Biden would hurt his 'legacy'.
'Perhaps it was inevitable that Donald Trump's re-election campaign would end as his presidency began: with the president claiming victory and his frenzied antagonists denouncing him as a would-be fascist,' the article began.
'The reality is that the US can and probably will have a normal election outcome regardless of the shouting between now and then.
'Mr Biden is leading in enough states to win the presidency, and if those votes survive recounts and legal challenges, he will be the next president.'
Ingraham's messaging comes in tandem to the opinion piece published by the Wall Street Journal where the editorial board sent an almost identical message of defeat
The board wrote that Trump hates to lose' and called on him to 'honor[...] America's democratic traditions'.
'Mr. Trump hates to lose, and no doubt he will fight to the end. But if defeat comes, he will serve himself and his country best by honoring America’s democratic traditions and leaving office with dignity,' it read.
The piece continued: 'Mr Trump's legacy will be diminished greatly if his final act is a bitter refusal to accept a legitimate defeat.'
Meanwhile, the front cover of Saturday's New York Post all but declares Biden the winner.
'Ready, set... Joe?' the headline reads, with the standfirst reading: 'Biden this close to winning presidency.'
This marks a stark departure for the outlet which, on October 26, publicly endorsed Trump.
Its front cover that day read: 'The Post endorses President Trump.'
The Post has also spent much of the last month attacking Biden and his son Hunter, after the outlet obtained emails leaked from Hunter's laptop via Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
According to sources working at the Post, top editors have told staff to be 'tougher' on Trump this week, reported the New York Times.
The two anonymous employees told the Times Friday they had been encouraged to adopt a 'rough-and-ready tabloid voice when writing about the president' as his chances of reelection narrowed over the previous two days.
The Murdoch empire - in particular Fox - has long been a close ally of the president and Rupert Murdoch himself has regularly rubbed shoulders with the president.
The front cover of Saturday's New York Post all but declares Biden the winner
This marks a stark departure for the Post after, on October 26, the Post's front cover publicly endorsed Trump and the outlet spent much of the last month attacking Biden and his son Hunter, as the first to publish emails leaked from Hunter's laptop
When Fox became the first outlet to call Arizona for Biden Tuesday night, Trump reportedly called Murdoch in a fury 'to scream about the call and demand a retraction', a source told Vanity Fair.
The 89-year-old media mogul refused to order his staff to retract the Arizona call.
The warnings from the conservative outlets to Trump to bow out with grace comes as the president has reportedly not prepared a concession speech and has no plans to concede the race.
Trump continues to peddle baseless theories of voter and election fraud as his chances of reelection are all but vanishing.
He launched a new barrage of tweets Saturday morning making a number of dubious factual claims and legal arguments.
In one he simply raged: 'I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!'
Trump has filed multiple lawsuits to stop the ballot counting in key states as the White House slips from his grasp and Biden's lead continues to grow in critical swing states.
The Murdoch empire - in particular Fox - which has long been a close ally of the president. Trump and Rupert Murdoch playing golf in 2016
An undated image of Donald Trump, Anna Murdoch Mann, and Rupert Murdoch
Murdoch himself has regularly rubbed shoulders with the president at social event. The two men at a dinner to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea during WWII onboard the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in May 2017 in New York
Biden currently leads with 253 of the 270 electoral college votes needed to claim the White House and is ahead in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia and Arizona where counting continues Saturday.
Pennsylvania alone would take him to 273 electoral college votes, while if Arizona and Nevada declare before the Keystone state, he would hit 270.
If Biden takes all four – which appears very likely, he would have 302 electoral college votes.
Pennsylvania, Nevada and Arizona could be called Saturday, while Georgia is so close it is certain to have a recount.
Biden made a brief appearance inside the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware, late Friday night and spoke for seven minutes with running mate Kamala Harris at his side.
It had been expected to be a victory speech but more than 72 hours on from election night the presidential race still wasn't called as ballots are still being counted in the key states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada and North Carolina.
'We're going to win this race,' Biden said before once again vowing to serve both his supporters and Trump supporters as president.
'No, the purpose of our politics, the work of our nation, isn't to fan the flames of conflict, but to solve problems, to guarantee justice, to give everybody a fair shot and to improve the lives of our people,' he said.
