Columnist Slams Hannity’s Trump-Musk Interview as ‘Embarrassing Spectacle’

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Bente Birkeland
February 23, 2025
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7 minutes read

Photo by The Wrap

Arizona Republic columnist Bill Goodykoontz expressed strong disappointment with Fox News host Sean Hannity’s recent interview featuring President Donald Trump and X owner Elon Musk, labeling it an “embarrassing spectacle.”

Goodykoontz argued that Hannity “outdid himself” in throwing softball questions at Trump, missing a crucial opportunity to address pressing concerns about Musk’s growing influence in the administration.

“There have been legitimate questions about the power Musk wields, how much oversight he is subject to, who is making decisions about the slash-and-burn approach his DOGE group is taking to the federal government,” he wrote.

“But Tuesday, with Hannity’s gentle assistance, it was one hearty slap on the back after another. Just three ol’ pals yucking it up while the country reels.” Goodykoontz also criticized Fox News as a whole for its framing of the interview, highlighting a chyron that read, “Elon Musk responds to the left’s smears.”

Elon Musk President office — (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

“Good thing Fox News dropped that whole ‘Fair and Balanced’ motto a few years ago,” he quipped. The columnist ultimately questioned the value of such interviews for the public, expressing skepticism about their journalistic merit.

“It’s hard to know what the purpose of the interview was,” he wrote. “Although it did bring up a question. If the U.S. had state media, what would the difference be?”

Goodykoontz’s sharp critique underscores ongoing concerns over the relationship between conservative media, the Trump administration, and influential business figures like Musk, raising further questions about journalistic integrity in political coverage.