President Donald Trump called on Fox News to cut ties with longtime Republican strategist Karl Rove, blasting the Bush-era political operative as a “sloppy RINO” who has spent more than a decade getting Trump and the MAGA movement wrong. Trump delivered the demand in a scathing Truth Social post Thursday, accusing Rove of suffering from an “inoperable” case of Trump Derangement Syndrome. He told the network to put its veteran contributor “out to pasture.”
The broadside targeted one of the most recognizable figures from the pre-Trump Republican establishment. Rove served as a top White House adviser under former President George W. Bush before becoming a regular Fox News commentator. He is frequently brought on to discuss polling, elections, and Republican strategy, often using a handheld whiteboard to break down voting trends and political numbers.
“FoxNews should get rid of sloppy RINO Karl Rove,” Trump wrote. “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.” The president’s post left little doubt about what he thought of the longtime Fox contributor.
As The Hill reported, it was not immediately clear which specific Rove remarks prompted Trump’s latest attack. The president has repeatedly gone after the former Bush adviser after Rove offered criticism of Trump’s policies, political strategy, or public messaging. The dispute reflects the continuing split between Trump’s populist movement and the consultant-driven Republican establishment that dominated the party before his rise.
Trump finished the post with an even more direct dismissal of Rove’s standing inside the modern Republican Party. “Put Karl Rove out to pasture, NOW,” he wrote. “He is a LOSER, and he always will be! Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DJT.” The language echoed Trump’s previous attacks on Republican commentators who continue appearing on conservative media while criticizing the president, his supporters, and the broader MAGA movement.
The president’s frustration with Rove is hardly new. Rove has repeatedly questioned Trump’s rhetoric and political approach, including after Trump’s State of the Union address earlier this year. Rove said the speech “didn’t sound based in reality,” giving Trump another reason to view the Fox contributor as an establishment critic rather than an ally of the administration.
Rove’s continued presence on Fox News has made him a familiar target whenever his analysis clashes with Trump’s reading of the Republican electorate. Trump’s post argued that Rove has failed to understand both him and the MAGA movement for the entirety of Trump’s political career. His latest demand placed the question directly before Fox News: why continue featuring a self-described Republican commentator who is seemingly at odds with the Republican president, large swaths of the party, and its voters?
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Trump’s relationship with Fox News has shifted repeatedly over the years. He has praised individual hosts and programs while publicly attacking the network’s polling, election coverage, contributors, and leadership, including media mogul Rupert Murdoch. At the same time, Trump has selected several former Fox News hosts and contributors for positions in his administration, maintaining close ties to parts of the network even as he calls for the removal of figures he sees as working against the MAGA agenda.
Watch Trump hammer RINOs in Indiana here: