6 Questions With Laura Ingraham: Fox Host Talks Ratings Surge, Receiving Flowers From Rachel Maddow, and a Mask Mandate

Fox News Channel host Laura Ingraham is at the top of her ratings game. As host of the Ingraham Angle, she was the top rated female host in cable news, according to Nielsen, all year long. August looks like it will be another month in the top spot.

That’s not just in her time slot. MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow is on at 9pm against Sean Hannity, but Ingraham, at 10 p.m., surpasses Maddow’s ratings month after month. Not just the top female host, Ingraham hosts a top 5 show overall. In fact, in June and July, Fox News was the highest-rated channel in prime time among not just news channels, or just cable channels, but all of television.

We spoke briefly with Laura Ingraham for a few questions about those ratings, her newfound position in the cable news landscape, the coronavirus pandemic and whether she’s on board with mask mandates.

Mediaite: To what would you attribute your continuing ratings dominance? Do you credit the fact that the media is overwhelmingly liberal for concentrating viewers to Fox News? Or would you say that the ratings demonstrate a much larger share of the American public is conservative or hold conservative viewpoints than that liberal media are willing or able to recognize?

Ingraham: I think both of these factors are relevant. President Trump received almost 63 million votes in the last election, and Republicans have held the House or Senate for most of the last 25 years. Obviously, there is an enormous conservative and right of center audience out there. It’s also true that many other media outlets made a decision not only to disregard these voters, but to actually attack them. There is a significant percentage of America that feels shut out of the culture and demonized by politicians and the press. They’re hardworking, good people. My sense is that at the end of a long day, they want a safe harbor where they can learn and be entertained, where their values aren’t constantly under assault. We try to give that to them every night – and I mean we. A dedicated team of pros working behind the scenes make it all possible, along with the blessing of being part of an evening line-up of talented Fox hosts. Additionally, my 17 years in radio, my legal background, and love of writing has also helped enormously.

Rachel Maddow was once considered, as recently as last year, a safe bet as the top rated woman on cable news. What do you think it says about the media current news landscape that you have surpassed her in the ratings? Do you think that trend is going to continue?

Rachel Maddow sent me flowers and a really nice note the first day I started on Fox. Classy and considerate. But what was done to this president by the FBI and intelligence agencies, and then echoed on MSNBC without rigorous analysis was not. As far as the ratings for particular timeslots – while I’m happy to win, they can fluctuate with the news cycles.

That having been said, I just don’t think that America is clamoring for more left-wing programming. Many viewers – including female viewers — are looking for a more populist perspective that takes the side of average Americans on the key issues of the day. We respect the viewers. And that’s why we endeavor to deliver strong, original content every night – with compelling, smart guests. For busy Americans, the Angle explains the stories behind the headlines, the motivations of the key players, and what is likely to happen next.

The Election (which will be a ratings bonanza, I can’t help but point out) is going to be a crazy ride. I’m not going to ask “is it going to be a crazy ride” because we all know this. Thinking back on the Brett Kavanaugh hearing, the impeachment trial, and really any other news story that’s taken place in the Trump era, words like “circus” or “insanity” spring to mind when considering the sheer volume and heft of the kitchen sinks that are going to be thrown. It’s a long-held and argued conservative Republican belief that as much is thrown at any GOP nominee by the press as by their opponent. How do you expect this to go? What should your viewers be watching for?

I don’t think there’s any question that most of the media has completely abandoned any effort of impartiality, and they are serving as Biden’s communications shop. In fact, the Biden strategy has been to keep silent and let the media and his surrogates from the Obama years do all of the heavy lifting in the campaign. That will continue, and the media’s attacks are likely to become even more shrill as we get closer to the election. Viewers should be prepared to seek out the truth on their own — because the mainstream press simply won’t cover key issues that make the Democrats look bad (such as the violence in Democratic-led cities, the effects their radical policies would have on America).

The coronavirus pandemic is the biggest story of the year, and is part of every other biggest story from the economy to the election to sports and more. Do you think the administration, including the top scientists who make up the coronavirus task force, have handled this pandemic well? And what do you make of criticism (particularly from rival networks) about your coverage of the virus?

I think a lot of the criticism of the President is simply unrealistic. If you look at the numbers, we are conducting far more tests than our peers, our death rate is better than many of the big countries of Western Europe, and our economic performance is leaving most of the world behind. These aren’t opinions; they are facts. The media tries to act as though other countries have some sort of “plan” that is leading to better results — but that’s not true. The biggest difference is that many other countries are giving their citizens much less freedom than Americans have. Such an approach has devastating economic and social consequences for society, and doesn’t make anyone healthier in the long run. You can’t defeat a virus by trying to hide from it. Other media types are committed to creating an air of panic that would hurt the economy, weaken our liberties, and leave us more dependent on left-wingers in government (and their supporters in the press). Naturally they will attack anyone who argues for a more nuanced approach.

Biden and Harris advocated a national mask mandate. President Trump responded to that in his remarks yesterday, saying among other things that this is simply not a presidential power. Dr. Robert Redfield indicated in House testimony this month that if enough people will just wear masks then the gov’t won’t need to recommend shutdowns. Do you think masks are necessary? Would you say to our readers that masks likely help and are a good way to control the spread? And importantly, are national or local mandates a good way to achieve Dr. Redfield’s goal?

I think it has been irresponsible to act as though wearing masks alone will solve our problems. We are seeing outbreaks everywhere in the world — including places like Australia and New Zealand where the virus was supposed to be under control. Are we supposed to believe that no one on earth wears masks? Having said that, I wouldn’t object to an effort that asks people to wear masks in circumstances where they could make a difference. A legal mandate, on the other hand, is very different. I don’t think the President has the power to order such a mandate, and there’s a good chance that any statute creating such power would be unconstitutional. Historically and constitutionally, questions like these are left to the individual states, which hold the police power. The Democrats have also failed to provide any significant details about what they really want. Biden said the mandate would last three months. What sort of numbers would we need to see after three months to decide whether to lift the mandate? Would anyone be exempt from the mandate, and if so why? Would the rules in rural areas be the same as in big cities? What if you’re working in your own yard with no one around? What if you’re out jogging and no one is within several blocks? If the Democrats really care about this issue, they should prepare draft legislation explaining exactly what they would require and show that legislation to the voters.

On a more personal note, what’s something your viewers don’t know about how you’ve been spending the year under lockdown? Any hobbies or TV show obsessions they’d be amused to hear?

We don’t watch much TV, but we do love sports. We started doing Krav Maga as a family – at this point the kids are (almost) stronger than I am. I’m a single mother of a high school freshman, a seventh grader, and a fifth grader – keeping them all on the same page for long isn’t always easy. And I agree with Hillary Clinton– in my case, at least, it takes a village!