‘Wrong on Both Counts’: Fox’s Bret Baier Replies to Viewers, Answers Critics About Trump Town Hall
Fox News
Fox News anchor Bret Baier answered some viewer questions Tuesday about next week’s just-announced town hall with former President Donald Trump.
Fox announced earlier on Tuesday that Baier and Martha MacCallum would moderate the event with Trump the same night CNN is hosting a GOP primary debate between Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).
Baier, who regularly engages on X/Twitter with fans and critics alike, responded to one user named “FugitiveMama,” who asked, “What does “moderate” mean? Will real voters finally get to ask him questions?”
“Yes they will. Thanks,” replied Baier.
Another user replied, “My guess is that it means the Trump campaign will get to choose who is in the audience. They will also have a say in what questions can be asked.”
“Wrong on both counts. Thanks for watching,” Baier replied, making clear he intends for Trump to answer real questions.
Baier later followed up with a longer answer when pushed again on whether or not Trump will have advanced knowledge of the questions. “The former President will not have the questions in advance or any knowledge of the questions from me, Martha or from citizens in the crowd – who will be a mix of Iowa voters. And I can confirm that I approached the Trump campaign about doing a town hall in Iowa. They had turned down the debate (and all debates) and wanted to do it then,” Baier explained.
“Well there you have it. I respect Bret for taking the time out to answer my question,” replied the account named Burt Macklin.
The initial comments Baier responded to were in reply to a comment from a user named Stinson Norwood, who criticized the event, saying, “Disappointing to see @BretBaier helping the coward who won’t debate and has NEVER faced a question from another Republican about his disastrous Covid response. The last time Trump stood on a debate stage he praised Tony Fauci. Unforgivable, Bret. Just sad.”
Baier interviewed Trump back in June and pressed the former president on a variety of topics, which resulted in Trump publicly calling the sit-down “nasty” and “really unfriendly.”
“The town hall marks the first time the former president will sit with Baier and MacCallum jointly since May 2020. In June 2023, Baier received praise on both sides of the aisle for his interview with former President Trump. Most recently, Baier and MacCallum moderated the first Republican presidential primary debate in Milwaukee which delivered 13 million viewers and has been the most-watched debate of the 2024 cycle,” Fox said in a press release announcing the Jan. 10th event.
