Notable Fox News anchor, Sean Hannity, closely associated with President Donald Trump, reportedly urged the president in the past to desist from criticizing Fox News. This occurred shortly before the network reached a settlement in a defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems in 2023, as revealed in a forthcoming book.

The book, “Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power,” authored by Axios journalist Alex Isenstadt, is slated for release on March 18, 2025. It provides an account of Hannity’s desperate appeal to Trump to cease his onslaught against the conservative network and its chairman, Rupert Murdoch, during a phone call in March 2023.

“Please do not hit Fox; do not hit the Murdoch family. Just please, for the love of God, please don’t do it,” Hannity implored, as reported in an excerpt of Isenstadt’s book obtained by the Washington Post.

At the time of the call, there was considerable tension between Trump and Fox News. Trump initiated a series of attacks on the network in early 2023, claiming “collusion” between the “MAGA hating” Fox News and his main political opponent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Hannity expressed his frustration to Trump during the call, highlighting that the president’s attacks on the Murdochs were obstructing efforts to support him through Fox News. Hannity encouraged Trump to relent, arguing that it would benefit them both and aid in returning to normalcy.

The book reveals that Trump held his phone aloft for his staff to hear Hannity’s pleas and responded: “Sean is trying to do the right thing. But, man, the Murdochs? I don’t know.”

Hannity, growing increasingly desperate, sought assistance from Trump’s campaign team, including Susie Wiles, Trump’s then-campaign manager. A Fox News representative stated that Wiles responded by saying Trump would make decisions based on what he considers best and fair. Hannity later remarked that he did not remember talking to Wiles during the call. Trump reportedly ended the call by calling Hannity a “good man.”

The rift between Trump and Fox News had been brewing since the 2022 midterm elections. After Republicans did not perform as well as expected in the midterms, several Fox News pundits started leaning towards Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, especially after his overwhelming re-election victory.

On November 10, 2022, Fox Business host Stuart Varney declared that Trump was a figure of the past, while Fox News Digital labeled Trump as the “biggest loser” and hailed DeSantis as “the new leader of the Republican Party.” Fox News featured DeSantis prominently, with the Florida governor making at least five live appearances while promoting his book “The Courage to Be Free” in late February 2023.

Reports suggest that during this time, Trump was subjected to what his campaign referred to as a “soft ban” from appearing on the network for about six months.

The situation worsened when facts from the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit against Fox News were revealed. The voting machine company had sued Fox News for $1.6 billion over assertions made during its coverage of the 2020 election. Court documents showed that Rupert Murdoch admitted some Fox News hosts had “endorsed” Trump’s contested claims about the 2020 election being stolen.

Trump capitalized on these revelations, launching a direct attack on Murdoch. He cautioned the media tycoon that if Murdoch did not believe the 2020 election was “rigged,” he should “get out of the News Business as soon as possible because they are aiding & abetting the DESTRUCTION OF AMERICA with FAKE NEWS.”

Despite Hannity’s attempts to mediate, the strained relationship persisted for much of 2023. In April 2023, Fox News agreed to a $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems, concluding the defamation lawsuit but not immediately mending the rift with Trump.

A major shift occurred in September 2023 when Rupert Murdoch resigned as the chairman of Fox Corp. and News Corp. Although the 92-year-old media mogul continued as chairman emeritus, his son Lachlan Murdoch assumed the roles of sole chairman of News Corp. and executive chair and CEO of Fox Corp.

This change in leadership was seen by many as a “refresh” in the relationship between Trump and the network. By early 2024, the relationship had mostly stabilized, with Trump later commending Murdoch during remarks at the White House, referring to him as “an amazing guy.”

Although occasional tensions have surfaced during the 2024 campaign, particularly over Fox News polling and the network’s coverage of his Democratic rival, Trump has not frequently targeted the Murdoch-owned network with the same intensity as he did in the spring of 2023.