It cites “current administration administrative officials” as the reason for the switch from CNN to Trump’s favorite channel.
The email — a screencap of which was initially obtained and shared to Twitter by journalist Paul Thacker and later by BuzzFeed’s Julia Reinstein — was sent to “let everyone know” why TVs had been changed “from CNN to FOX.” It was sent to researchers at the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, the FDA branch that oversees medical products.On Wednesday, a customer service representative from the FDA’s Office of Facilities sent an email to staff informing them that TVs in a Silver Spring, Maryland office will now be exclusively turned to Fox News.
“A decision from the current administration administrative officials has requested that all monitors, under our control, on the White Oak Campus, display FOX news,” it says. “Sorry for the inconvenience, but I am unable to change any of the monitors to any other news source at this time.
But the switch from CNN to Fox News mirrors Trump’s personal taste in cable news. Trump has repeatedly bashed CNN, which has broken news about his campaign’s suspect connections with Russia. He labeled the network “very fake news” during a news conference in February and refused to answer a question from CNN’s Jim Acosta during a presser just before the inauguration.
White House Senior Adviser and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner reportedly told an executive from CNN’s parent company that the Trump administration is upset with the network’s critical coverage of Trump during a meeting in February, singling out Trump-critical commentators Van Jones and Ana Navarro.
On the other hand, Trump frequently praises Fox News, which has provided glowing coverage of the early days of his administration and downplayed his scandals.
Trump regularly live-tweets Fox News’ Fox & Friends morning show, and in turn, Fox News fiercely defends the president.