It was published online Friday evening, at the same time another Murdoch publication, the Wall Street Journal, also published an editorial harshly criticizing the former president.
The Journal called him “The president who stood still on Jan. 6” and praised Vice President Mike Pence. “Character is revealed in a crisis, and Mr. Pence passed his judgment on Jan. 6. Mr. Trump completely failed his,” the Journal editorial stated.
Both papers have been notably more critical of Trump than Murdoch’s biggest megaphone, the Fox News Channel, though close watchers have also picked up some signs that Fox may be turning sour on Trump.
The right-wing network no longer shows its rallies, for example. Presumptive 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, was a featured guest on Fox as Trump held a rally Friday night.
Both the Post and the Journal have conservative editorial boards believed to reflect Murdoch’s views. Murdoch said last fall that conservatives need to play an active role in American political debate, “but that won’t happen if President Trump remains focused on the past.”
If Murdoch was trying to give Trump advice, it didn’t work. Trump has continued to spread lies about the 2020 election and undermine the House investigation into the January 6 uprising.
After the first House committee hearing last month, the magazine’s editorial board said the evidence was a reminder that “Trump betrayed his supporters.”
While editorial writers have remained skeptical of the House committee and critical of the lack of cross-examination of witnesses, they wrote the following Friday, after the second prime-time hearing: “No your thoughts on the special committee’s Jan. 6, the The facts he’s laying out in the hearings are troubling.The most horrifying so far was Thursday at a hearing on President Trump’s conduct as the riot turned strange and sat around watching TV, posted inflammatory tweets and refused to send help.”
Instead of apologizing or changing the subject, as some conservative commentators have done, the Journal’s editorial said Trump “failed” in his duty as commander in chief.
The Post’s editorial page, which wrote last month that “we need a fresh start” with “a new crop of conservatives,” went further in its editorial following Thursday’s prime-time hearing.
“It’s up to the Justice Department to decide whether this is a crime,” the Post said. “But as a matter of principle, as a matter of character, Trump has shown that he is not worthy to be the chief executive of this country again.”