Former President Donald Trump attends a Fox News Town Hall moderated by Harris Faulkner in Cumming, Georgia, on October 15. Photo: Elijah Nouvelage/AFP/Getty Images via CNN Newsource
Fox News hosted an all-women town hall with former President Donald Trump, billed as an opportunity for female voters to ask the Republican candidate questions that matter to them.
The Georgia town hall, where Trump took questions on reproductive laws, transgender rights and other issues, aired Wednesday morning in the US. But Fox News did not disclose that the female audience it selected for the event was packed with local Republican supporters and the network edited its broadcast to remove some of their vocal advocacy of Trump.
The Georgia Federation of Republican Women wrote on its Facebook page that the group helped host the event, posting photos from the venue and writing they were "Super excited for the opportunity of hosting this event right here in Georgia!"
Shortly after CNN reached out to the group and Fox News about their role, the post was edited to state they were "excited for the opportunity of attending this event right here in Georgia!". The group's president, Pam Lightsey, later denied that it had hosted the event.
The Republican Women of Forsyth County also posted a video from the event showing attendees chatting with Trump and Fox News host Harris Faulkner.
A Fox News spokesperson told CNN the event was not hosted by any Republican group and that it was the network's event alone. But the right-wing outlet did not disclose the makeup of the audience in its press release announcing the town hall or in Faulkner's introduction, stating only that it was "held with an audience entirely composed of women".
The first question posed to Trump at the town hall came from a woman identified as Lisa, who asked the former president a question about the economy. The network did not disclose that Lisa is also the president of the Fulton County Republican Women group.
Some of the town hall attendees made it clear they were supporters of the former president, either in their questioning or in their attire.
"I want to thank you for coming to a room full of women the current administration would consider domestic terrorists," a woman named Alicia said to laughter from the audience before a question about foreign policy.
But a portion of Alicia's question was edited by Fox News to remove her admission that she was voting for Trump.
"I proudly cast my vote for you today. I hope they count it," she added, according to an audio recording from a CNN reporter in attendance.
While it's common for a pre-taped event or interview to be edited for time, Alicia's short remark came in the middle of her question, which remained intact on the broadcast.
During another moment missing from Fox's broadcast, Trump asked the crowd who they were voting for, leading to a chant of "Trump, Trump" breaking out by the attendees.
Fox News did not respond to CNN questions about the missing remarks.
The crowd of women was overwhelmingly supportive of the former president, welcoming Trump with a standing ovation and often breaking out into applause during his responses. When Trump called President Joe Biden "the worst president in history" and Vice President Kamala Harris "the worst vice president," the crowd burst into cheers.
One woman in the crowd wore an "RNC Delegate" hat. Another named Rachel wore a Trump pin visible on her blazer as she asked the former president a question.
When Faulkner asked the audience whether they opposed "biological men and boys competing against women and girls in sports," nearly every hand in the room was raised, the Fox host noted. According to CNN's fact check of the event, Trump made at least 19 false claims in the one-hour town hall. Faulkner did not fact check Trump on stage.
The UK-based news outlet The Independent, which reported from the Georgia event, spoke with attendees and noted many "were from Republican groups around the area whom Fox News invited".
Rachel, who wore a Trump pin while asking the candidate a question, was later interviewed on Fox News. Though she was identified by anchor Sandra Smith as a Trump supporter, the woman pushed back on The Independent's reporting.
"I'm nobody and I'm not registered with anybody," she said. "I found out about this meeting late through my local county Facebook page."
- CNN