Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier received mixed reviews for his recent interview with former President Donald Trump.
Although Trump was willing to answer the often hard-hitting questions he received, many supporters of the leading 2024 GOP presidential primary candidate felt that Baier’s demeanor was too confrontational.
I understand Donald Trump's frustration & anger over the 2020 election. I'm sure you do too.
Frankly, I don't know how he keeps fighting the evil perpetually done to him by the demonic Left.
But tonight's grilling by Bret Baier was mean, just mean.https://t.co/yYDnfTKCFc pic.twitter.com/QUHfUWEoGD
— Daniel F. Baranowski (@DFBHarvard) June 20, 2023
Some critics even suggested that Baier had consulted with the Department of Justice to craft questions meant to essentially entrap Trump as he faces federal charges related to mishandling classified documents.
The interview touched on several related subjects, including why Trump refused to turn over boxes of documents in compliance with a subpoena from the National Archives and Records Administration.
“Before I send boxes over, I have to take all of my things out,” Trump replied. “These boxes were interspersed with all sorts of things — golf shirts, clothing, pants, shoes. There were many things.”
He went on to describe NARA as a “radical left” organization, articulating the possibility that it had placed documents in the boxes he had at his Mar-a-Lago residence with the apparent goal of framing him for a crime.
“All of a sudden we got raided,” he said, adding: “What I’m concerned about [is] they took everything, right? I don’t know what they took. They could be stuffing it. I don’t know what they put in there. And we wanted to be there when they were taking [the boxes]. They wouldn’t let anybody in the room. They have never treated a president like this.”
Baier referenced many of the claims found in the 37-count indictment handed down earlier this month.
The focus on Trump’s legal issues led some social media users to speculate that the Justice Department was behind some of the questions, but Baier addressed the theory with a blanket denial.
“I’ll answer that,” he wrote in response to one such tweet. “No. I wrote my own questions. And frankly, I didn’t know that I would get much on the indictment questions assuming he might say he couldn’t talk about it. Thanks for watching.”
While anti-Trump pundits reacted to the interview by insinuating that he seemed to confess to some of the charges against him, insiders say he believes the interview was a success.
