Politics
Fox News Faces Uproar As Peter Navarro Reveals New Details On Maria Bartiromo’s Dismissal
Peter Navarro has revealed new details about Maria Bartiromo’s stunning split from Fox News, claiming the longtime anchor was punished after an internal network directive reached the Trump White House.
Navarro presented his account Wednesday in an op-ed for The Washington Times and an accompanying series of posts on X. He accused Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott of “muzzling” Bartiromo after President Donald Trump delivered a prime-time address on China and election security.
According to Navarro, Bartiromo booked him to discuss Trump’s July 16 speech on Fox Business the following morning. He claimed those plans changed after Fox Business programming chief Ralph Giordano sent instructions to her producers discouraging coverage of the address.
“Hi – We don’t want to promote it or push to the speech at all. We don’t want to do 2020 election segments at all Thurs or Friday,” the message said, according to the copy published by Navarro.
Navarro said Bartiromo forwarded the message to him and that he subsequently shared it with the White House. He claimed Scott then received an angry call from the West Wing.
“That was a slap at the president and at every Fox viewer who tuned in for analysis and got censorship,” Navarro wrote.
Navarro alleged Bartiromo was punished over the disclosure, eventually receiving what he called Fox’s “Golden Muzzle.” He cited a Just the News report claiming Bartiromo would continue to be paid for the three years remaining on her contract while being blocked from joining a rival network.
That reported contractual arrangement has not been publicly confirmed by Fox or Bartiromo.
Navarro also claimed he was banned from Fox after sending the internal message to the White House. Fox has not publicly confirmed his characterization of the events.
Fox News carried Trump’s July 16 address live, and Sean Hannity interviewed the president afterward. Navarro claimed “Fox & Friends” did not discuss the speech the following morning despite its focus on China’s alleged ability to interfere in American elections.
Fox announced Sept. 3 that Bartiromo was leaving the network after more than 12 years, but offered no detailed explanation. A spokesperson described the move as a “business decision.”
“Effective today, Maria Bartiromo is no longer with FOX News Media,” the network announced. “We thank Maria for her work over the last 12 ½ years and wish her all the best on her next chapter.”
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Bartiromo’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, later challenged reports describing her as fired or no longer employed by Fox.
“The irresponsible reports that have been published stating that Maria Bartiromo was fired or is no longer an employee of Fox are absolutely and unequivocally false,” Freedman said. “Make no mistake, we have the receipts and witnesses and they will come out whether through the courthouse or otherwise.”
Freedman’s statement left an apparent distinction between Fox News Media’s announcement that Bartiromo had left its networks and whether she remained employed under a broader Fox corporate contract.
Navarro expanded his attack beyond Bartiromo’s departure, accusing Fox executives of restricting coverage of issues important to the MAGA base. He argued that the network offers viewers conservative programming while enforcing editorial guardrails around election integrity, Big Pharma, Trump’s tariffs and China.
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He pointed to the previous dismissals of Tucker Carlson and the late Lou Dobbs, arguing that both men were removed despite commanding major audiences.
Navarro also alleged that Fox maintains a “shadow ban” targeting certain Trump allies and conservative figures. He named himself, Donald Trump Jr., Rudy Giuliani, Laura Loomer, John Solomon and FBI Director Kash Patel among those he claimed had been frozen out at various times.
Fox has not publicly responded to Navarro’s latest allegations.
Trump previously expressed disbelief over Bartiromo’s departure, praising her as a “total professional” and a “true warrior.”
Bartiromo hosted “Mornings with Maria,” “Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street,” and “Sunday Morning Futures.” Fox has renamed her Fox Business programs and announced that rotating anchors would take over while the network searches for a permanent host for her Sunday show.
