Former Republican President Donald Trump engaged in a tense exchange with Fox News host Bret Baier during a recent interview, touching on subjects such as Trump's indictment and arrest as a result of his possession of classified documents and his views on Fox News' viewership.
Trump and Baier clashed after Baier questioned Trump's hiring decisions while he was in office, referencing Trump's 2016 statement about surrounding himself with "only the best and most serious people."
Baier proceeded to list former allies—some of whom are now running against Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination—including former Vice President Mike Pence, former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, former National Security Advisor John Bolton and former Attorney General Bill Barr. Barr recently made critical comments about Trump's conduct, prompting a fiery response from the former President.
You can watch what happened in the Barr interview below.
\u201cLOL omg\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1687214363
Baier asked:
“Why did you hire all of them in the first place?”
Trump responded:
“Because I hired ten to one that were fantastic. For every person you named, I can name 20 people that loved the administration.”
The exchange between Trump and Baier gained attention online.
Footage of the interview went viral and prompted mocking responses from Twitter users.
\u201c@Acyn Trump doesn\u2019t do interviews. He tells long fake stories that provide an alternate reality in which he\u2019s the hero and allow his audience to conflate themselves with him as he pretends to vanquish imaginary enemies like \u201cCrazy Nancy\u201d \u201cCrooked Hillary\u201d \u201cThe Deep State\u201d & \u201cFake News\u201d\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1687214363
\u201c@Acyn I honestly can\u2019t see how Trump comes back from this interview. Brutal\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1687214363
\u201c@Acyn Easy to see right through him now. How the mighty have fallen. The entire interview is gold.\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1687214363
\u201c@Acyn @PShiogi Look at Fox News tossing shade on the indicted perpetrator / former president \ud83d\ude0e\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1687214363
\u201c@Acyn Fool me once\u2026. Shame on you\u2026\n\nFool me twice\u2026 Shame on me..\n\nOr, as Bush said\u2026 \u201cFool me twice\u2026. can\u2019t get fooled again\u2026.\u201d :)\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1687214363
\u201c@Acyn Wow, he might not go on FOX again real soon. This is great!\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1687214363
\u201c@Acyn That was a LONG list \ud83e\udd23\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1687214363
\u201c@Acyn That was painful to watch.\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1687214363
The contentious conversation marks the latest interaction between Baier and presidential candidates as Fox News prepares to host the first GOP presidential debate later this year.
Baier's interview with Trump came after a reported reluctance from the former President to be interviewed by the host due to his coverage of the 2020 election, particularly Baier's challenge to Trump's claims of election fraud.
The last time the two sat down together was in 2018.
Trump insisted he "won in 2020 by a lot" when Baier asked him how he intends to attract independents to vote for him in 2024 only for the Fox News host to shut him down.
Baier firmly told Trump he had in fact "lost the 2020 election," citing multiple recounts and failed lawsuits on the part of Trump's legal team that failed to change the outcome of the electoral contest.
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