A Fox News chyron did not hold back criticism of President Joe Biden over the indictment of his current main political rival.
NBC News’ Natasha Korecki tweeted a picture of a split screen on Fox News.
On the right side of the screen was former President Donald Trump delivering a speech about his indictment for his handling of classified documents. And on the left side of the screen was Biden.
Meanwhile, the chyron gave the sitting president a two-word title: Wannabe dictator.
“WANNABE DICTATOR SPEAKS AT THE WHITE HOUSE AFTER HAVING HIS POLITICAL RIVAL ARRESTED,” the full text stated.
Fox News chyron under split screen of Biden and Trump as Trump speaks live: "WANNABE DICTATOR SPEAKS AT THE WHITE HOUSE AFTER HAVING HIS POLITICAL RIVAL ARRESTED." pic.twitter.com/9eWZxhoXE4
— Natasha Korecki (@natashakorecki) June 14, 2023
It should be noted, for whatever it is worth, the chyron appeared during Fox News’ 8 p.m. time slot, which is the time for its opinion shows and not news programming.
Still, the chyron is disturbing.
Sure, Biden’s administration has a history of trying to continue a program the Supreme Court ruled did not have a legal basis — the eviction moratorium in 2021. Last year, his administration also developed a vastly expanded reading of the 2003 Heroes Act to cancel federal loan student loan debt because there was no way Congress would agree to such a plan. Even The Washington Post called his plan an overreach.
And, yes, he gave that creepy speech with red lights lighting up Independence Hall while U.S. Marines stood ominously silhouetted behind him as he labeled his political opponents a threat to the country.
With a blood-red background, Biden vilifies half of the country as extreme pic.twitter.com/cfQeYn4tiK
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) September 2, 2022
But let’s be clear, Biden is the duly elected President of the United States who won his election in 2020 with the same Electoral College margin as Trump did in 2016. And there is no evidence he was involved in the decision to indict Trump for his handling of classified documents.
The former president was indicted after Special Counsel Jack Smith investigated his handling of the documents.
Trump took the documents and he has publicly admitted as much. He is reportedly on tape admitting at least one document he took was “highly confidential,” and he could have declassified it as president but did not.
The indictment alleges he suggested his attorney “falsely represent to the FBI” he did not have documents the government sought in a subpoena. Additionally, it claims the former president suggested his attorney should “hide or destroy documents called for by the grand jury subpoena.”
Trump could have avoided this situation by simply handing back the documents. But instead, he sought to defy the subpoena and allegedly sought to obstruct the government’s efforts to recover them.
And while polls currently show he is the front-runner for the Republican nomination, there is almost a year before voting in the primary even begins. The situation can change. Perhaps it would be a different story if the indictment came right after Super Tuesday in 2024 and polls were showing Trump leading Biden in the general election.
Yet polls are a snapshot in time, and prosecutors should not be forced to avoid bringing charges against someone — before voting has even and people have really made their voice heard — because of them.
Trump will have his day in court, and it is possible the allegations will turn out to be entirely false and a horrible abuse of the Justice Department that will go down as a shameful moment in its history.
But to call the sitting president a “wannabe dictator” because the Justice Department indicted someone who easily could have avoided charges if they simply complied is grossly irresponsible and misleading. And it does a disservice to Fox News’ audience.
UPDATE [6/14/23, 12:37 p.m. EST]: A Fox News spokesperson shared, “The chyron was taken down immediately and was addressed.”
