Who is Maria Bartiromo? Fox News anchor slammed for letting Trump claim that election was 'stolen' from him
POTUS Donald Trump spoke to Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo on Sunday, November 29, in what was his first one-on-one interview after the November 3 elections. For so long Trump has mainly been busy trying to prove his unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud in the elections for which he even took the legal recourse only to be shot down at every step. However, that hasn't stopped POTUS from reiterating his claims and he did so at this interview as well and Bartimoro was left taking the heat from across social media for not challenging Trump on his unsubstantiated claims of election fraud.
In the interview, Trump constantly protested the results of the election going in favor of Democratic party candidate and now President-elect Joe Biden but failed to provide any proof to back up his claims. "We had glitches where they moved thousands of votes from my account to Biden's account," Trump falsely told Bartiromo and incorrectly claimed "dead people were applying to get a ballot." During the 46-minute interview, Trump did not say when he may drop election lawsuits and the challenges which have led to no success.
Bartiromo had begun the call by asking Trump to back up his claims of election fraud, telling him "The facts are on your side." Many judges and election officials across the United States including Republicans have declared that the elections had taken place in a fair manner and called out Trump's legal team for filing their baseless lawsuits.
She told Trump, "Mr President, you've said many times that this election was rigged, that there was much fraud, and the facts are on your side. Let's start there. Please go through the facts. Characterize what took place." In response to this, Trump reiterated the election was 'rigged' and said his complaints and claims could last well beyond the December 14 vote of the Electoral College and even during Biden's inauguration in January.
While Bartiromo had asked Trump to provide evidence "to enable you to prove this in court" some analysts had a problem with the fact that she did not challenge him enough on already-disputed claims. Many social media users slammed Bartiromo for her easy attitude toward Trump. One such user shared, "Interview if you could call it that, was disgraceful. DOJ not involved because there is absolutely no evidence. Even @RudyGiuliani, in court, said no fraud."
Another user added, "What happened to you??? Does he have something on you too? I used to hold you in very high regard because of how smart you are but now...not so much." Yet another commented, "I used to respect and admire you, @MariaBartiromo- you lost your soul and any values you once had; and for what? A deranged man who’ll go down as a historical aberration and possibly a crook and conman? It’s really sad."
"Let's be clear," CNN contributor Amanda Carpenter tweeted. "Maria Bartiromo is not interviewing the President (right now). She is providing him a free platform to feed his base talking points uncontested. ... This is propaganda."
Interview if you could call it that, was disgraceful. DOJ not involved because there is absolutely no evidence. Even @RudyGiuliani , in court, said no fraud.
— Allan Renz (@allanrenz) November 29, 2020
What happened to you??? Does he have something on you too? I used to hold you in very high regard because of how smart you are but now...not so much
— oscar mendoza (@oscarme72907361) November 30, 2020
I used to respect and admire you, @MariaBartiromo - you lost your soul and any values you once had; and for what? A deranged man who’ll go down as a historical aberration and possibly a crook and conman? It’s really sad 😞
— Wafa Faith Hallam (@WafaWithFaith) November 30, 2020
Let’s be clear. Maria Bartiromo is not interviewing the President rn. She is providing him a free platform to feed his base talking points uncontested. (Yum yum!) This is propaganda. I’ll be discussing this and more with @brianstelter next hour on CNN.
— Amanda Carpenter (@amandacarpenter) November 29, 2020
"It is absolutely shocking that you would throw away a 25 year career in journalism, one of intelligence and insight, for what? Integrity transcends cult of personality and its petty politics and aspires to higher values. One day you remember; money cannot buy self-respect," commented another.
Yet another user who echoed the same sentiments chimed in, "I just don't get it. I watched you for years back in the day. What happened? Is it a mafia thing? You fear him or something? Real question -- you believe this stuff?"
It is absolutely shocking that you would throw away a 25 year career in journalism, one of intelligence and insight, for what? Integrity transcends cult of personality and its petty politics and aspires to higher values. One day you remember; money cannot buy self-respect.
— Dan Bryant (@mythos5) November 30, 2020
I just don't get it. I watched you for years back in the day. What happened? Is it a mafia thing? You fear him or something? Real question -- you believe this stuff?
— John Matthews (@johnzmatthews) November 30, 2020
We had earlier reported that during the same interview, Trump slammed his own FBI and the Department of Justice for being 'missing in action' when investigating his claims of election fraud. At one point the president even appeared to accuse the law enforcement agencies of ‘maybe being involved’ in an alleged conspiracy to rig the election in favor of Joe Biden.
"This is total fraud and how – the FBI and Department of Justice, I don't know, maybe they're involved – but how people are allowed to get away from this with this stuff is unbelievable," Trump told Bartiromo while speaking on the phone with the Fox News anchor.