According to a New York Magazine report, Donald Trump conducts frequent late-night calls with Michael Cohen’s third client, Fox News pundit Sean Hannity. It’s just one more aspect of Hannity’s role as the leader of Trump’s real decision-makers, while the members of his official cabinet go through the motions of being in control.
From the earliest days of Trump’s stay in the White House, it was clear that his biggest adviser was not on the scene. Day after day, Trump didn’t talk about, or tweet about, the items that were officially on the schedule, but repeated the items that appeared on Fox News. In fact, Trump’s statements have sometimes so closely followed statements on Fox that his Twitte account could be considered a Fox News live blog.
While this close collaboration may seem to be a one-way affair—Fox decides, Trump transcribes—there is more to it than that. Fox often gets a heads-up on Trump’s actions. In exchange for their unflagging support, they can be sure of not just getting early news on White House moves, they can be part of the decision. Fox News is not just the state media … they’re the state.
And it’s not as if Trump is trying to keep this close relationship a secret. There is no careful, behind-the-scenes coordination. No couriers exchanging information in a coffee shop. The connection is simply Donald Trump.
Trump has not only phoned into Fox & Friends and booked himself for future engagements, he has called in Fox News pundit Sean Hannity and Fox money man Lou Dobbs in the middle of Oval Office meetings. Hannity—whose educational background includes a degree in … nothing, nothing at all—clearly has the expertise that Trump seeks: the ability to never, ever contradict Donald Trump.
In exchange for serving Trump’s vanity and stirring his anger against others, Sean Hannity and Fox News aren’t just the shadow cabinet. They’re the shadow president. They decide. You live with it.
Trump’s positions have always been a mishmash of conspiracy theories and nationalism spawned by other sources. He didn’t invent birtherism or fears over the Iran deal. He just latched onto them because they clicked with his personal hatred for President Obama. Even Trump’s mottos—from Make America Great Again to Build the Wall—were products of a multi-year effort led by Steve Bannon; part of a program to create positions for a candidate who didn’t really have any.
Trump continues to have that need for someone to tell him what he thinks. Lou Dobbs’ contributions to Trump’s cabinet meetings haven’t been restricted to tax matters. Dobbs has also pitched in his own nationalist, anti-immigrant thoughts into other areas of national policy—that includes Trump putting Dobbs on speakerphone so he can deliver his demands directly.
But even in a Washington where televisions across the board are locked down to Fox News, and Trump spends the morning relaying not just the comments of Fox pundits but advertisements for their shows, their books, and their people, the communication with Sean Hannity is … something special.
On some days, they speak multiple times, with one calling the other to inform him of the latest developments. White House staff are aware that the calls happen, thanks to the president entering a room and announcing, “I just hung up with Hannity,” or referring to what Hannity said during their conversations, or even ringing Hannity up from his desk in their presence.
Fox News is no longer reporting the news, and no longer responding to policy. It is creating both.
The day starts with Fox & Friends giving Donald Trump his talking points. When he needs more, he gets them from a call to Hannity. When the day is over, Hannity is there again for a late-night call—debriefing Trump on his day, shoring up his arguments, reassuring him on his actions. Trump slips away from the world to the sweet sound of Sean Hannity telling him that he done good. And in the morning, Trump is ready for more talking points.
There’s still a place where policy is being made, and a place where policy is being announced. It’s just that they’ve switched locations.
