Media Matters for America

Dan Bongino lays bare the right-wing media grift

People like Bongino make their money by tossing off reckless speculations that confirm their right-wing audience’s biases, and face no consequences if their claims turn out not to be true.

Despite the heavy ongoing controversy, right-wing media continue to praise Trump's legally dubious boat strikes in the Caribbean which killed at least 83 people.

GOP efforts to reject dual citizenship come after months of pushing by right-wing media figures

After right-wing podcast hosts spent months calling for the total end of dual citizenship, GOP efforts to reject dual citizenships are escalating.

FBI’s Bongino tries to explain his discredited conspiracy theory in pipe-bombs case Why did the FBI deputy director get the pipe-bombs case wrong? He has an answer, but it isn’t a good one.

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino now admits that when he peddled bogus conspiracy theories about the pipe-bombs case, he didn’t know what he was talking about.

“I was paid in the past for my opinions,” he said.

I’m not sure if he’s fully thought this through. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Laura Ingraham calls it “borderline illegal” for Democratic politicians to call ICE agents “thugs”

Laura Ingraham calls it “borderline illegal” for Democratic politicians to call ICE agents “thugs”

Trump's calls for "remigration," a form of ethnic cleansing, echo Nick Fuentes' calls to roll back immigration

The Trump administration's statements echo white nationalist streamer Nick Fuentes, who has repeatedly called for a shutdown of all immigration and boasted of the right's shift “against mass migration.”

Trump's calls for "remigration," a form of ethnic cleansing, echo Nick Fuentes' calls to roll back immigration

The Trump administration's statements echo white nationalist streamer Nick Fuentes, who has repeatedly called for a shutdown of all immigration and boasted of the right's shift “against mass migration.”

Fox falsely credits Trump tariffs for creating factory jobs first announced during the Biden administration

New from me: Fox falsely credits Trump tariffs for creating factory jobs first announced during the Biden administration www.mediamatters.org/tariffs-trad...

Boat strikes: War crime or "fake news" hoax? - Salon.com Even as some Republicans turn on the ghastly Pete Hegseth, right-wing media can't handle the truth

As the MAGA coalition continues to crumble, right-wing media is sticking to the core message: If Trump or his allies do it, it’s good. If the media reports it, it’s fake. If critics object, it’s a hoax.

Trump officials and number of appearances: Thomas Homan 133 Stephen Miller 82 Kevin Hassett 75 Lee Zeldin 74 Chris Wright 68 Doug Burgum 66 Sean Duffy 65 Karoline Leavitt 63 Brooke Rollins 57 Scott Bessent 50

Trump “border czar” Tom Homan led all officials with at least 133 Fox appearances from January-November 2025.

Key Trump officials appeared on Fox networks more than 1,300 times in the first 300 days of his presidency Key officials in President Donald Trump’s second administration appeared on Fox networks over 1,300 times during his first 300 days back in office. Trump “border czar” Tom Homan led all officials with...

Key officials in Trump’s second administration appeared on Fox networks over 1,300 times during his first 300 days back in office.

Right-wing media continue to praise Trump's legally questionable boat strikes in the Caribbean Right-wing media have continued to defend and even praise the Trump administration’s military actions in the Caribbean as questions linger over the legality of the recent boat strikes, including after...

Right-wing media have continued to defend and even praise the Trump administration’s military actions in the Caribbean.

Megyn Kelly on WaPo's reporting that the US launched a second strike on a boat in the Caribbean, killing two survivors of the initial one:

"I’d really like to see them suffer"

"Make it last a long time, so that they lose a limb and bleed out a little"

DOD watchdog report on Pete Hegseth set to demolish Fox’s Signalgate defenses

Fox’s right-wing stars scrambled to downplay Hegseth’s use of Signal to share classified info. A new DOD report is about to dismantle those excuses.

Pentagon Pete’s Old Fox News Colleague Demands War Crime Prosecution The former legal analyst for the network believes everyone who gave or followed the alleged “kill everybody” order must be brought to justice.

Legal analyst Andrew Napolitano, Pete Hegseth’s former Fox News colleague, says it gives him “no pleasure to say” that the defense secretary must be prosecuted for war crimes.

As Trump threatens regime change in Venezuela, right-wing media embrace opposition figure María Corina Machado Right-wing media figures have spent the last year championing Venezuela opposition figure María Corina Machado, who has supported President Donald Trump’s threats of regime change in her home country....

I wrote about right-wing media's embrace of Venezuela opposition leader María Corina Machado, who supports Trump's threats of regime change and has offered fuel for conservative conspiracy theories about 2020 election fraud & Maduro's role as a supposed narco kingpin.
Latest at @mmfa.bsky.social

The year the media oligarchs bowed to Trump We warned last year that Donald Trump’s second term as president would turbo-charge the political right’s burgeoning media-intimidation complex. Republican officials and right-wing billionaires were a...

Many corporate media owners have made their choice: They're damaging celebrated news outlets out of some combination of personal preference and political expedience.

It's not that he's "lost" Newsmax (Greg Kelly just did a segment tonight about how the spirit of the Constitution says no presidential term limits) ... but it's definitely noteworthy that the right-wing Andrews McCarthy and Napolitano are out on the boat strikes.

Fox’s Greg Gutfeld on double tap boat strike: “It's just better for us to kill them in the ocean, make them shark feed, be done with it”

The White House Press Tracker Is a Parody of Media Criticism With his approval number plummeting, Trump turns to a familiar strategy: launch a culture war against journalists.

With his approval number plummeting, Trump turns to a familiar strategy: launch a culture war against journalists.

Scrounging for a Hegseth defense, right-wing commentators seize on NY Times report

Right-wing complaints over mainstream media coverage amount to hair-splitting over the exact extent of Hegseth’s responsibility for the allegedly unlawful killings.

Roger Stone claims Trump announced pardon for Juan Orlando Hernández “three hours after” he sent Trump a letter from the former Honduran president

Roger Stone says Trump announced pardon for Juan Orlando Hernández “three hours after” he sent Trump a letter from the former Honduran president
www.mediamatters.org/roger-stone/...

Roger Stone claims Trump announced pardon for Juan Orlando Hernández “three hours after” he sent Trump a letter from the former Honduran president

Roger Stone says Trump announced pardon for Juan Orlando Hernández “three hours after” he sent Trump a letter from the former Honduran president
www.mediamatters.org/roger-stone/...

GOP candidate in Tennessee special election turns to Jeffrey Epstein's "comeback consultant" Steve Bannon

Tennessee GOP candidate Matt Van Epps campaigned on Steve Bannon’s War Room the day before the special election, despite recent revelations of Bannon’s close personal relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

FLASHBACK: When Pete Hegseth endorsed soldiers executing captured alleged combatants

FLASHBACK: Pete Hegseth once endorsed the military executing captured alleged combatants

What we know about the relationship between Alex Jones and DOJ official Ed Martin As conspiracy theorist Alex Jones deals with cascading legal issues stemming from his defamation of the families of Sandy Hook massacre victims, he has found an ally in the Trump administration in the...

Alex Jones has said that he has known DOJ official Ed Martin for 20 years and repeatedly called for Martin to have more power.

White House drops Fox News from ‘media offenders’ Hall of Shame after network objects The White House is now naming and shaming reporters and media outlets for writing unfavorable stories that the administration disagrees with.

Fox News was initially added to the White House's "media offenders" Hall of Shame list -- but was removed after they reached out and asked for a correction.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...

"I feel like you lied to us." Steve Bannon is facing outrage from his audience after his cozy relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was revealed. Some self-described viewers and fans of Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast have been speaking out as newly released files from Jeffrey Epstein’s case reveal Bannon’s close relationship with the late conv...

Steve Bannon is facing outrage from his audience after his cozy relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was revealed.

"I feel like you lied to us." Steve Bannon is facing outrage from his audience after his cozy relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was revealed. Some self-described viewers and fans of Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast have been speaking out as newly released files from Jeffrey Epstein’s case reveal Bannon’s close relationship with the late conv...

“I feel like you lied to us.” Steve Bannon is facing outrage from his audience after his cozy relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was revealed.
www.mediamatters.org/steve-bannon...

Media Matters weekly newsletter, November 26 Welcome back to Media Matters’ weekly newsletter. This week: Podcaster Benny Johnson’s job is to have no principles — business is booming. Some right-wing figures are starting to declare “MAGA is dead...

A new trend in right-wing media: "MAGA is dead"; Also, MAGA media beats the drums of war with Venezuela.

This week's Media Matters newsletter: www.mediamatters.org/media-matter...