Decoding Fox News Decoding Fox News

Podcast #229 - Fox News is Still Trying to Tell Trump ‘It’s the Economy Stupid’

Sep 9, 2026 · 53m

Summary

Juliet Jetzky analyzes Fox News’s attempts to signal economic concerns to Trump amid his 30-stop midterm tour, noting the network’s use of low-profile hosts to report on record-high gas prices. The episode critiques Fox’s heavy coverage of the Lindsey Clancy trial and anti-transgender segments as distraction tactics from the failing Iran war and poor polling. Jetzky also highlights a viral moment where Laura Ingrahm misread a poll, discusses the dangers of arming Iranian rebels, and compares ignored stories on PBS to Fox’s selective news agenda.

Topics discussed

Intro: Fox News pushing economy narrative despite Trump's silence GOP midterm strategy and PBS NewsHour's contrasting focus Immigration as the primary political talking point Newsletter format update: embedding videos in Substack Challenges with auto-generated transcripts in Premiere Pro Fox hosts signaling economic concerns to Trump Fox vs PBS coverage contrast and skipping the Clancy trial Reasons for avoiding the Lindsey Clancy trial coverage Clip: Host realizing script was not good for Republicans Polling data: Democrats leading in generic congressional vote Critique of generic polling vs district-specific candidates Fox graphic highlighting 47% cost of living concern Inflation rates and the 'tight line' Trump must walk Fact check: Inflation has not actually decreased under Trump Record-breaking gas and diesel prices since term start Using lower-profile hosts to deliver bad news to Trump Labor Day travel stats and rising gas prices Fox Friends repeating segments to ensure Trump sees them Alarming diesel price records and Trump's previous schemes Jesse Watters segment: Transgender women as political target Clip: 'The party that cannot define what a woman is' Campaign ads using 'them not you' rhetoric Transgender athletes as a boogeyman and scapegoat Call for financial support and upcoming convention coverage Alternative ways to support the podcast Fox coverage of Chinese bots and data center hate Clip: Gutfeld on using freedom of speech as a weapon Critique of Gutfeld's stance on data centers Valid reasons for residents to oppose data centers Clip: Brian Kilmeade on data center jobs and noise Fox News promoting arming Iranian rebels Clip: Suggesting the US give guns to Iranian protesters Historical parallels: Arming rebels in Afghanistan and Nicaragua Unintended consequences of proxy wars and foreign policy Social media reaction to the Iran war proposal History of US intervention in Iran and the Shah Fox's failed attempt to demonize Zohran Mamdani Clip: Mamdani's 'Renew Crew' fixing a park bench Mamdani's response to a child's request for a playground fix Fox criticism of Mamdani's absence from a look-alike contest Rise of the DSA and internal Democratic party conflicts Explanation of the 'Third Way' PAC and its funding Trump's approval ratings and the need for his money Republicans moving away from 'America First' language Critique of Republican subservience to Trump Fox using the Clancy trial to avoid economic news Coverage of the Tyler Robinson trial and Charlie Kirk Fox's obsession with Abdul Ali Sayed and other candidates Clip: George Santos banned from prediction markets Headlines: TPS expiration, Pentagon tensions, and school safety Headlines: Trump commemorative coins and Epstein subpoenas Headlines: Leon Black lawsuit and Ukrainian drone strikes Trump downplaying the severity of the Iran war PBS coverage of the Iran conflict vs Fox's dismissal Critique of Trump's 'small potatoes' comment on deaths By the Numbers: Top 5 topics on Fox News By the Numbers: Top 5 topics on PBS NewsHour Word frequency analysis: 'Democrat' leads on Fox Closing remarks and call for Patreon support Sign-off and preview of bonus podcast
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