Imagine preparing for a big event, and then, just before it kicks off, you get a sneak peek at the questions you’re about to face. Well, that’s what allegedly happened to Donald Trump before his town hall in Iowa in January 2024. According to a new book, “Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power”, it seems that someone inside Fox News might have given Trump’s campaign a heads-up about the questions he would be asked during the event.
The book, written by Politico’s Alex Isenstadt and set for release in March, claims that around 30 minutes before the town hall started, a senior Trump aide started receiving text messages from someone inside Fox News. These texts allegedly included images of all the questions Trump would face, including follow-ups, word-for-word.
Fox News is taking the claim seriously, but they’ve also noted that they haven’t seen the images yet, and they’re concerned about a possible breach. They’re promising an investigation if it turns out there was any wrongdoing.
Now, Trump’s team had some mixed feelings about the town hall in the first place. Apparently, there was a lot of back-and-forth about whether he should even go, with some staff members feeling that Trump wasn’t preparing enough. As for the questions, the book claims they were pretty direct: Would he step down from his business interests if he won the presidency? Would his legal troubles make him a risky nominee for the GOP? Would he disavow political violence?
Trump wasn’t thrilled with the questions, but getting the inside scoop gave his team time to prepare their answers.
This kind of leak would be a huge deal in the world of journalism. Networks like Fox News usually work hard to keep their questions under wraps to make sure candidates don’t have an unfair advantage.
Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, didn’t comment directly on the claims but did tout how open and transparent Trump has been throughout his campaign, which he believes is a key reason for his historic success.
It’s still a mystery whether these allegations are true, but one thing’s for sure: this story is bound to stir up some major conversations!