Fox News Drops Bartiromo; Trump Calls Her a True Warrior

Fox News Media ended its relationship with longtime anchor Maria Bartiromo on September 4, removing her from three programs that will continue under new names and hosts. The network issued a brief statement thanking her for 12 and a half years of work and wishing her well, without stating a reason. President Donald Trump responded on Truth Social that he could not believe she would no longer host her shows, calling her a total professional and a true warrior whose fans would be unhappy. His son Eric Trump posted that she was the best in the business and the hardest-working person in media.

Media-industry newsletter Status reported that Bartiromo was dismissed after allegedly sharing an internal Fox directive with the Trump administration. The directive instructed shows to avoid the president’s unproven claims, made in a July Oval Office address, that national security officials and China had interfered in the 2020 election. Fox settled a related defamation suit brought by Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million in 2023 and has since shown greater caution on such topics. Sharing the directive would have violated Bartiromo’s employment agreement, according to Status. The claim has not been corroborated by other outlets.

Bartiromo had interviewed Trump repeatedly and was once considered for a role as his running mate in 2024 before JD Vance was chosen, according to the book Revenge by Alex Isenstadt. Speculation that she might join the administration as press secretary was rejected by Vanity Fair correspondent Aidan McLaughlin. Her programs are being rebranded immediately: Mornings with Maria becomes Mornings with Fox Business with rotating hosts; Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street becomes Fox Business Network’s Wall Street, hosted this week by Cheryl Casone; and Sunday Morning Futures will be presented by Jason Chaffetz until a permanent replacement is named.

Bartiromo has not commented publicly. The Independent reached out to the White House, Fox, and her attorney without response at the time of publication.