US President Donald Trump is threatening to boycott mainstream media by refusing to appear on their airwaves during the 2020 debates, after Democrats said they’d bar Fox News from hosting its own debates.

Trump declared he wouldn’t participate in debates hosted by “Fake News Networks” during the 2020 campaign season, in retaliation for Democrats’ announcement they would refuse to allow Fox News to moderate any of their party’s debates.

Democrats just blocked @FoxNews from holding a debate. Good, then I think I’ll do the same thing with the Fake News Networks and the Radical Left Democrats in the General Election debates! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 7, 2019

The Democratic National Committee declared Fox News would not “serve as a media partner” for any of its candidates’ debates in 2020 following a New Yorker report detailing an “inappropriate relationship” between the Trump administration and Fox.

“The network is not in a position to host a fair and neutral debate for our candidates,” DNC chairman Tom Perez said in a statement released to media on Wednesday.

While this show of defiance is not new – the DNC made the same choice in 2016, claiming Fox’s conservative bias would prevent them from getting a fair shake – the New Yorker report goes one step further, claiming Fox is “the closest we’ve come to having state TV,” quoting an “expert on presidential studies”…whatever that is.

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According to the New Yorker, the late Fox News founder Roger Ailes had tipped Trump off to debate questions; the president’s frequent Fox News appearances and his hiring of multiple former Fox News personalities (including Heather Nauert as State Department spokesperson and Bill Shine as White House communications director) are held up as proof of – you guessed it – still more collusion.

Even his detractors know Trump is ratings gold, and if he actually follows through on his tweet and refuses to appear in debates moderated by non-Fox networks, the executives will most likely be howling with outrage, even (especially) those who hate him.

They'll change their tune if the president does the same thing to them! Crying hypocrites! — jeana rourke (@Jayrork) March 7, 2019

Hahaha I was thinking the same it will all backfire at the Dems in the end — Redfireball (@Redfireball4) March 7, 2019

Then again, Trump needs attention at least as badly as CNN needs ratings, some pointed out.

Yeah right like your thirsty ass would pass up a chance to be on TV. — HardtoLive (@Hardtolivecom) March 7, 2019

You survive on attention, homefry. Good luck with that. — Anonymous White House Official (@dvorakoelling) March 7, 2019

Trump’s supporters reliably cheered the move,

While Fox News defended Jim Acosta after his press pass was taken away by the White House (for acting like a protester instead of a journalist), CNN is endorsing the censorship of Fox News. pic.twitter.com/rJnILywuK5 — Mark Dice (@MarkDice) March 7, 2019

Good for you OK but I think you should do the debates and rip a new one in them and show them how Ridiculously juvenile they are. Show them truth and strength of a dedicated American! Make them look like the stupid idiots that they are, and the liars that they have become. — AdvertisingUSA (@delVecchioProd) March 7, 2019

while his detractors echoed the DNC’s decision.

Tell me again how y’all aren’t State TV? https://t.co/XUiacSOtuh — World B. Friedman (@BrianRFriedman) March 7, 2019

Excellent Good News America! We won't have to sit through a debate on Fox that gives Don the questions ahead of time and kills stories about him for him.I don't really think there's too much to debate at this point anyway Donny. Bye now. — A. W. (@FultertonAW) March 7, 2019

Basically, it was a preview of the carnage sure to characterize the coming election season.

Hillary is the one who got questions in advance from Donna Brazil — JENNIFER RESTIVO (@JENN_RESTIVO) March 7, 2019

He is scared that he might win 2020 with more states than the last election. — Brian K (@Conserative1968) March 7, 2019

There’s NO reliable news in America. — Susan Allgood (@Blue_Eyz912) March 7, 2019

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