The Chuck ToddCast
Trump's Tariff Changes + Predicting Future of Fox News & The Murdoch Empire
14 Apr 2025
First, Chuck reacts to President Trump’s announcement that smartphones, computers, and other electronics will be exempt from tariffs. He also previews what we can expect this week in political news, and breaks down what all these developments mean for our democracy as a whole.Then, Chuck is joined by The Atlantic staff writer McKay Coppins to discuss his latest story, “Growing Up Murdoch,” which delves into the Succession-style drama surrounding Rupert Murdoch, his children, and the future of their media empire.They examine Fox News’ enormous influence on American politics, how the network evolved during the Trump era, and how it could undergo major changes once Murdoch’s children take the reins.The conversation explores striking parallels between the Murdoch family and the Roys from HBO’s Succession, including a looming legal battle over the family trust and what it could mean for the company’s direction.McKay explains how Fox News shifted after the departure of longtime CEO Roger Ailes, while Chuck highlights how the potential loss of NFL broadcasting rights could pose an existential threat to the network.Finally, they turn to the Trump family and discuss why its own brewing succession drama might ultimately eclipse that of the Murdochs. Timeline:00:00 Intro02:58 Reaction to Trump’s tariff exemption of smartphones and computers07:45 Are we entering a kleptocracy?14:05 McKay Coppins joins Chuck16:47 Any discussion about making Mckay’s Murdoch article into a book?18:17 Fate of the Murdoch empire impacts the fate of American politics19:32 Murdoch outlets impacted Trumpism, Brexit and other major events22:47 Murdoch used to make the weather, now Trump does26:32 It’s easier to pick a side in media rather than be a neutral observer29:02 Did Succession have an insider account or were the Murdochs that predictable?30:47 The Murdochs are a normal, wealthy dysfunctional family32:17 Status of the Murdoch lawsuit?34:47 Was Rupert Murdoch “honeypotted” by the Chinese government?36:32 Will James and Lachlan reconcile after Rupert dies?38:17 Rupert has pitted his kids against each other39:32 Without Brexit and Trump, would James and Lachlan have worked better together?41:17 James can’t stomach what Fox News became in the Trump era42:17 Fox News went off the rails after Roger Ailes left43:47 Ailes ruled Fox News with an iron fist44:32 The inmates are running the asylum at Fox46:02 If James gets his way after Rupert dies, Fox will change drastically47:17 Fox can never go as far as Newsmax or OAN48:32 The Fox empire was built on its current audience50:32 James is building his own empire52:02 Sisters are embarrassed by Fox News52:17 NFL rights are existential for Fox and big tech can outspend them54:17 Murdoch kids have shielded their kids from the press55:47 WSJ + NY Post will still needle Trump57:32 James has more interest in the media business than Lachlan58:02 The Murdochs and Trumps have similar dynamics59:17 Don Jr. understood the Trump base better than his father1:00:17 Succession style drama is coming for the Trump family
Full Episode
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I have a little bit of a theme with a couple of my interviews this week. Happy Monday. Welcome to another episode of the Chuck Todd cast. So today I'm interviewing McKay Coppins. It's a fascinating interview. He's a writer and reporter for The Atlantic, and he did the deepest of deep dives. with incredible access on the fight for control of the Murdoch Empire.
James Murdoch in particular, the second son, eldest son of Rupert Murdoch und die Murdoch-Kinder sind in diesem großen Kampf darüber, ob sie das Empire gleicherweise verteilen oder, wie bei Rupert, er ist Angst vor seinen mehr liberalen Kindern, ein Stück des Murdoch-Empires zu nehmen. Also gibt es einen ideologischen Aspekt zu all diesen Dingen.
Ja, wenn Sie sich fragen, ob das die Geschichte von Succession in der realen Leben ist, dann fühlen wir uns sicherlich zu Ihnen bekannt. Aber es ist ein unglaubliches Stück, das McKay gemacht hat und wir haben eine gute Menge Zeit, nicht nur darüber zu sprechen, aber auch darüber zu verstehen, wie das Ökosystem aussieht. Das hat Rupert Murdoch geschaffen.
Und was er gemacht hat, in den mindestens drei Orten, in denen er den größten Erfolg in der Verwaltung von Medienorganisationen hatte. Australien, die USA und natürlich hier in den Vereinigten Staaten. Aber seien wir ehrlich. Einer der Gründe, warum es so viel Vertrauen in die Medien im Allgemeinen gibt, ist, dass
due to the tactics that Rupert Murdoch has employed for some 30 years, the weaponizing of journalism for partisan ends, while he's not the first person to try and do it. I mean, I've told you this, the 19th century was filled with this type of mindset when it comes to journalism and media. But this modern era version of it and this attempt to sort of
essentially weaponize the information ecosystem that we're all living in today. Arguably, the modern version of this began with the decision of what's happened with Fox News. But you'll hear an interesting conversation about how, and I'm going to leave you with this question before I go into the week in politics and what to expect this week. And that's simply this.
Would we be better off if Roger Ailes were still running Fox News? So I'm going to let you stew on that a minute before we get to my interview with McKay Coppins. And by the way, later this week we talk about trust in media. Well, you want to know why there's such little trust in government? I'd argue it has to do with a certain cover-up or supposed cover-up.
of probably the most famous assassination of the 20th century. So with that, I want to put a pin in that and instead talk about what we learned this weekend and what to expect in the topsy-turvy world that is politics these days and frankly the tariff trade wars that Donald Trump has started around the world.
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