Conservative news outlets in the U.S. hardly go against or criticize the Republican party or a Republican president, let alone predicting a victory for the opponent. But media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, who owns several conservative news outlets including Fox News and the New York Post, has predicted a landslide victory for U.S. President Donald Trump's opponent from Democratic party Joe Biden.
Murdoch is known for freely speaking among his close associates and has been a staunch Republican party supporter for decades. He has had contributed hugely to Trump's campaign in 2016 and in 2020. But he is now discontent with Trump's presidency and believes it would be an easy win for Biden.
Coronavirus Pandemic
His media outlet Fox News has defended several Trump agendas including the handling of Coronavirus, stance on the Black Lives Matter protest, detaining immigrants and separating their children and even his view on climate change. New York Post, also owned by Murdoch's News Corp, recently carried out two controversial reports, alleging that Biden and his son Hunter Biden were involved in corrupt activities while the former was the Vice President in the Obama administration.
But Murdoch isn't sure anymore. According to The Daily Beast report, Murdoch is disgruntled with Trump's handling of the Coronavirus, saying the President is his own worst enemy. The Australian-born businessman told his close associates that Trump didn't listen to his advisers about the handling of the pandemic and created a never-ending crisis according to three people who spoke to Murdoch.
However, he refused to comment when The Daily Beast reached out to him. "No comment except I've never called Trump an idiot," Murdoch said. The comment was in reference to a 2018 report when he allegedly called Trump an idiot for his anti-immigration policy.
Supporting Bloomberg
Murdoch although has enjoyed unrestricted access to the White House and other conservative leaders in the U.K. and Australia but of late he hasn't spoken to Trump. As per the report, he had grown tired of Trump's constant complaint about negative coverage on Fox News. However, even 10-minute viewing of the channel would suggest otherwise. Every Fox News anchor, probably except Chris Wallace, has defended every move of Trump.
At that point, Murdoch even considered supporting his business rival and Democrat Michael Bloomberg before his campaign suffered sudden death after performing poorly in the Democratic primaries. But now, he believes Biden will be the next president, saying "after all that has gone on, people are ready for Sleepy Joe."
Family Feud
Murdoch, now 89-years-old, has distanced himself from his beloved News Corp, handing over the reign to his eldest son Lachlan. However, his youngest son James Murdoch has also grown frustrated with the media outlet's coverage on climate change and their denial of the problem. Along with his wife Kathryn, James stepped down from the News Corp board, over editorial disagreements. The couple was unhappy with the coverage of the Australian bushfire on Fox and News Corp-owned outlets.
"Kathryn and James' views on climate are well established and their frustration with some of the News Corp and Fox coverage of the topic is also well known. They are particularly disappointed with the ongoing denial among the news outlets in Australia given obvious evidence to the contrary," the couple's spokesperson told The Daily Beast.
While it remains to be seen what November 3 holds for the Americans, Murdoch has often taken pride in understanding the political mood of the voters. In addition, this isn't the first time, Murdoch has predicted a win for the Democratic candidate. Back in 2008, he said Barack Obama would win by a landslide and that turned out to be true. Biden currently leads Trump by a slender margin as per the latest polls.
