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Fox & Friends is now hiring for the most influential job in America: head writer for President Trump’s favorite TV show.
This is, quite literally, the most powerful job opening in the world https://t.co/pSJQoPKv2i pic.twitter.com/NIYDdexyXR
— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) February 8, 2018
“Fox & Friends is looking for a dynamic Head Writer,” the job ad reads. “If you never get beat on a story, have an eye for catchy stories and a passion for current events, this is the job for you.
“You will oversee all news content of the #1 National Cable Morning Show,” the ad continues. “You willsupervise [sic] a team of Writers and work with Senior Producers to craft the tone of a fast-paced show.”
Not mentioned in cable network’s wanted ad? The ability to appeal directly to the president of the United States.
Trump regularly tunes in to Fox & Friends, the morning cable show on the Fox News Channel co-hosted by Steve Doocy, Brian Kilmeade, and Ainsley Earhardt. He cites — and thanks — the show often on Twitter.
Thank you to @foxandfriends for exposing the truth. Perhaps that’s why your ratings are soooo much better than your untruthful competition!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 5, 2018
Thank you @foxandfriends. Really great job and show!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 27, 2017
And even when Trump doesn’t directly tag @foxandfriends, his morning Twitter musings often coincide with the show’s segments.
Left, Fox & Friends, 6:02 am
— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) February 2, 2018
Hosts say there was a lot of booing when the Cowboys knelt as a team before the anthem.
Right, Trump, 6:35 am pic.twitter.com/8WvRadyvvr
But the conservative-leaning show does more than repeat pro-Trump talking points. It tends to speak, particularly since Trump’s election, directly to its powerful audience of one.
Vox’s Alvin Chang analyzed 17 months of Fox & Friends transcripts to understand how it covers the administration and its outsize influence in Trumpworld. As Chang writes: “What we found is that Fox & Friends has a symbiotic relationship with Trump that is far weirder and more interesting than state media. Instead of talking for Trump, they are talking to him.”
Fox & Friends is more than just complimentary toward the president and his administration. According to Chang’s analysis, the hosts use “we” statements with more frequency after the election. The hosts also began to report on events in such a way that they included tips on how the president should do his job and handle the controversies that arose during the first months of his administration:
It’s something the show’s hosts and guests have done with far more frequency since Trump has been in office. An analysis of the show’s transcripts reveal that about 8 to 9 percent of sentences before Trump’s election were imperative sentences, which instruct or advise. In the first few months of his presidency, that number increased more than 50 percent.
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So Fox & Friends has the president’s ear. The hosts flatter him and have helped entrench Trump’s running battles with the mainstream media.
And Trump’s constant praise of the show has made it weirdly indispensable to the national discourse as it appears to feed and reinforce Trump’s worldview. Which means the future writer of Fox & Friends might end up being the person with the most sway over Trump outside of the White House. Not bad for an ad that requires four or more years of “national or local market experience.”
The job also seeks someone with the skill of “identifying catchy stories that people will be talking about all day.” And by people, it might mean — well take a guess.