Fox’s Bret Baier Smacks Down Reporting on Trump Surrogates Being ‘Blocked’ From Spin Room — Suggests Hannity Could Invite

Fox News anchor Bret Baier smacked down reporting that surrogates for ex-President Donald Trump are being “blocked” from the debate spin room by Fox, and floated Sean Hannity as an example of someone who could invite Trump-spinning guests.

Baier and fellow Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum are co-moderating the first GOP debate Wednesday night on Fox — which as of this moment will not feature Trump, who says he’s skipping the debate to do Carlson’s Twitter/X show.

There have also been reports that due to his absence, Trump supporters are being kept out of the spin room by Fox — reporting that Fox News has pushed back on.

On Tuesday’s edition of The Hugh Hewitt Show, the subject of the spin room controversy came up without host Hugh Hewitt bringing it up.

Baier volunteered his own refutation of the story while answering a question about Trump’s surrender for arrest being an attempt at “counterprogramming” and suggested Hannity as someone who could invite Trump supporters if he so chooses:

HUGH HEWITT: Bret Baier, there’s a story this morning that he has agreed to turn himself in in Atlanta on Thursday. Do you think he plans this? Because that would be the worst counterprogramming ever if that’s voluntary.

BRET BAIER: I think there has to be some planning. You I mean, I think it is about sucking the oxygen out of the room for anybody. You had a big night on Wednesday making the rounds on Thursday. I do think that there as, they’re calculated like that. It’s not a great counter-programming thing, but I do think it is calculated.

I do want to say one other thing about, there’s all these stories out there that, about surrogates, Trump surrogates, and how they’re not being allowed into the debate. That’s not the case at all. It’s, if they get invited to the debate, First of all, the RNC handles all the tickets. If they are an elected official, they get a ticket no matter what. If they are a surrogate and they get invited, they get to go. As far as in the spin room, it is the candidates on the stage and their delegates. And then if any media organization who’s in the spin room invites one of these surrogates, a Trump surrogate, they are welcome to come. They have to get the invite from the media person in the room.

You know, Fox may be one of those media organizations. I don’t know if Sean is inviting any of these Trump surrogates, but there’s these stories out there that we’re blocking them and it’s not true. And I just want to set the record straight.

HUGH HEWITT: I’m glad to know that.

Watch above via The Hugh Hewitt Show.