“He’s called ME and MAGA wrong for 11 years now, and he still doesn’t get it, and he never will, because he suffers from a completely inoperable, and totally dysfunctional, case of Trump Derangement Syndrome,” Trump wrote.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
\n“Put Karl Rove out to pasture, NOW. He is a LOSER, and he always will be!” Trump added.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The latest clash is hardly the first time Trump has publicly lashed out at a Fox News contributor or personality despite maintaining a generally friendly relationship with the conservative network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the years, Trump has repeatedly targeted commentators who have challenged him on policy, polling, or political strategy. He has feuded with former Fox News host Chris Wallace, frequently blasted former House Speaker Paul Ryan during Ryan’s tenure on Fox’s board, and has repeatedly attacked Fox contributors he views as insufficiently supportive of his political movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rove, one of the Republican Party’s most recognizable establishment figures, has often found himself in Trump’s crosshairs. The former deputy chief of staff to President George W. Bush has been openly skeptical of some of Trump’s political instincts and has repeatedly offered critical assessments of the president’s electoral standing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following Trump’s State of the Union address earlier this year, Rove argued that portions of the speech “didn’t sound based in reality.” He has also long questioned whether Trump’s brand of politics represents the Republican Party’s future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Back in 2019, Rove told<\/a> National Review<\/em> editor Rich Lowry that “The Republican Party is going to have to recreate itself after Donald Trump leaves office,” adding that the future direction of conservatism would depend on who ultimately succeeds Trump and his “dark charisma.”<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe episode highlights Trump’s complicated relationship with Fox News. While he regularly attacks network personalities and even Fox chairman emeritus Rupert Murdoch when coverage displeases him, the president has also drawn heavily from the network’s talent pool when staffing his administration, appointing several former Fox hosts and contributors to key government positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For now, however, Rove appears to have earned a place on Trump’s ever-growing list of Fox News figures who have felt the president’s wrath for deviating from the MAGA script.<\/p>\n\n\n\n