Fox News Scrambles to Defend Trump as James Talarico Faces Baseless Attacks
October 14, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readFox News Scrambles to Defend Trump as James Talarico Faces Baseless Attacks
The MeidasTouch Podcast opens with a blistering takedown of Fox News's coverage of Donald Trump's new press secretary, Katie Zakaria, whose debut performance the host describes as "way worse than bombing." Zakaria, whose law license reportedly involves China rather than the United States, has been subjected to widespread mockery — but rather than acknowledge the criticism, Fox News hosts have mounted a defensive campaign that the podcast argues is both hypocritical and revealing of the network's propaganda machinery.
The Zakaria Defense: Fox News Circles the Wagons
Sean Hannity led the charge, accusing "so-called journalists" in the "legacy media mob" of attacking Zakaria over "her appearance, her hair, the way she spoke" and questioning "her intelligence, her credentials." The host points out the glaring double standard: Fox News spent years running segments attacking former Biden press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre as "catastrophic" — "She couldn't talk, she couldn't pronounce words" — yet now claims such scrutiny is out of bounds. Dana Perino compounded the irony by suggesting Zakaria's law degree "will come in very handy" if Democrats retake the House, apparently unaware that Zakaria is not a licensed U.S. lawyer. Jesse Watters joined the defense by comparing Zakaria favorably to Jean-Pierre,
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:30) **Fox News Panics Over New Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt** - The host opens by describing Fox News as being in "total panic mode" defending Trump's new press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, after her first briefing.
- 2 (02:05) **Sean Hannity Defends Leavitt by Attacking the "Legacy Media Mob"** - A clip is played of Sean Hannity claiming the press is unfairly attacking Leavitt's appearance and intelligence, a treatment he claims was never given to Karine Jean-Pierre.
- 3 (03:15) **Dana Perino's "Law Degree" Gaffe and Jesse Watters on "Gay Things"** - The host plays clips of Dana Perino mistakenly saying Leavitt's law degree will be useful, and Jesse Watters defending Trump for talking about men's bodies.
- 4 (07:44) **Dana Perino on Kimberly Guilfoyle's Resignation** - The host plays a clip of Dana Perino reacting to Kimberly Guilfoyle’s resignation amid scandals in Greece.
- 5 (08:53) **Fox Hosts Claim Leavitt "Dropped the Mic"** - A Fox host is played claiming Karoline Leavitt "came out loaded with news and dropped the mic and walked away."
- 6 (10:02) **CNN and NY Post Defend Leavitt** - The host plays a clip of a New York Post reporter on CNN defending Leavitt’s performance, calling the job "one of the hardest jobs in the world."
- 7 (13:02) **Fox News Attacks James Talarico Over Baseless Hospital Rumor** - The host shifts to Fox News’s coverage of Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico, who was the target of a debunked conspiracy theory.
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Show Notes
MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas breaks down Sean Hannity, Jesse Watters, and other Fox hosts scrambling to spin Trump's bizarre rally comments and his press secretary's disastrous first briefing. Meiselas also exposes how Fox shifts blame onto James Talarico for not responding quickly enough to baseless conspiracies targeting him.
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