[Hoot Gibson]

TRT, I am not going to get into an extended debate about the "goodness" of Donald Trump. My opinion about the man is not going to change and your opinion and JP's opinion of him are not likely to change either. Trump is being treated unfairly by the media and Democrats, as any other Republican president would have been.

To the extent that he has been mistreated by fellow Republicans, I see much of that caused by Trump's own abrasive personality and habit of personally attacking potential allies in public. There is little evidence that the "swamp" is being drained here. Trump has done many good things since he took office, but nothing that I consider heroic. When one repeatedly lies about his political adversaries and engages in character assassination, as Trump has done, one must be prepared for some incoming fire. As Trump's popularity declines, as I expect that it will with the daily barrage of negative coverage accelerates with the loss of the House, I don't expect the Republicans whom he has publicly attacked to rally around him, nor should MR Trump expect any personal loyalty from them. Loyalty must be earned, and Trump's public treatment of Jeff Sessions, who was among his campaign's strongest and earliest supporters shows what loyalty to Donald Trump is worth.

Rupert Murdoch has sold several of his companies to Disney, but Fox News was not among them. Reportedly, Lachlan Murdoch has increasingly assumed more of the day to day management of Fox News and the other companies that Murdoch still owns.

I no longer subscribe to cable TV, so I rarely watch Fox News or any other cable news network. It is my understanding that Rupert Murdoich's family is much more liberal than he is, and Rupert has hosted at least one political fundraiser for Hillary Clinton in the past. Trump will need to spend far more of his own money or do a much better job of political fundraising for the 2020 campaign to be competitive, IMO, because he cannot expect the same kid glove treatment by Fox News that he received during the 2016 campaign. Roger Ailes is long gone and Trump will miss his him if he actually runs in 2020.