Vice President JD Vance appears to rule out Bartiromo replacing Karoline Leavitt, but Fox’s abrupt and unexplained decision leaves questions about the veteran journalist’s next move.
By Lucretia Hughes
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump sharply criticized Fox News Media after the network abruptly ended its relationship with veteran financial journalist Maria Bartiromo, praising her as a “true warrior” as speculation spread that she could be headed to the White House.
“I can’t believe Maria Bartiromo is no longer going to have her great show(s) on FoxNews/Business,” Trump wrote Thursday evening on Truth Social.
“Maria is a total professional, and a true warrior,” the president added, warning that her millions of viewers “will not be happy.”
Trump’s reaction came hours after Fox News Media announced that Bartiromo was leaving the company effective immediately after more than 12 years with the network.
Fox provided no explanation for the decision.
“We thank Maria for her work over the last 12 1/2 years and wish her all the best on her next chapter,” the company said in a brief statement.
A Fox spokesperson later described Bartiromo’s departure as a “business decision,” but declined to provide additional details.
The abrupt announcement surprised viewers because Bartiromo hosted three prominent programs across Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network: “Mornings with Maria,” “Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street” and “Sunday Morning Futures.”
The final episode of “Mornings with Maria” aired Thursday morning. The program will continue under the new name “Mornings with Fox Business,” using rotating anchors.
“Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street” will become “FBN’s Wall Street.” Cheryl Casone will initially host the program before Fox begins using additional rotating anchors.
Former Republican congressman Jason Chaffetz will temporarily host “Sunday Morning Futures” while the network searches for a permanent replacement.
Bartiromo had not publicly addressed her departure as of Friday morning.
Her exit immediately generated speculation that she could replace former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who completed her final day in the position on Aug. 27.
The timing was enough to send social media into overdrive. Bartiromo has maintained a close professional relationship with Trump, interviewed him repeatedly and built a loyal audience among America First voters.
Vice President JD Vance, however, appeared to reject the speculation when reporters asked whether Bartiromo would become the next press secretary.
“No, I don’t think so,” Vance said during a Thursday media briefing.
Vance said he had learned about Bartiromo’s departure shortly before entering the White House briefing room. He praised her as an “amazing person” and an “amazing talent,” but said he does not involve himself in the internal personnel disputes of media companies.
The vice president’s answer does not prevent Trump from offering Bartiromo another position inside or outside the administration. It does, however, indicate that she was not expected to become press secretary when Vance was questioned Thursday.
The White House has not announced Leavitt’s permanent replacement.
The administration praised Leavitt’s tenure in an official statement marking her final day, calling her one of the strongest press secretaries in the history of the office.
Bartiromo would bring decades of television experience, economic knowledge and familiarity with the administration to any communications position. Before joining Fox, she spent 20 years at CNBC and became the first television journalist to report live daily from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
She joined Fox Business in 2014 and eventually became one of the most recognizable financial journalists in the country.
Bartiromo also developed a reputation for covering stories that other major networks dismissed or avoided. Her interviews regularly focused on China, government corruption, border security, election integrity and the economic consequences of Washington’s policies.
That willingness to pursue controversial subjects earned her a devoted audience, but it also placed her at the center of legal and editorial disputes involving Fox’s coverage of the 2020 election.
Bartiromo was among the Fox personalities named in defamation litigation filed by voting-technology companies. Fox agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems $787.5 million to settle one lawsuit in 2023. A separate lawsuit filed by Smartmatic remains pending.
Fox has not said those cases were connected to its decision.
Separate media reports have alleged that Bartiromo shared internal network guidance with White House officials after executives prevented her from pursuing certain coverage involving China and the 2020 election. Fox has neither publicly confirmed that allegation nor directly denied it, repeating only that Bartiromo’s departure was a business decision.
Until Bartiromo or Fox provides a fuller explanation, Americans should treat those reports as allegations — not established facts.
What is established is that Fox removed one of its most experienced and recognizable journalists with no public explanation, immediately stripped her name from two programs and assigned another host to her Sunday show.
That is not an ordinary farewell.
Media companies have the right to make personnel decisions. Their audiences also have the right to ask why a highly rated journalist disappeared without warning.
Fox has previously separated from major personalities, including Tucker Carlson and Bill O’Reilly, through similarly abrupt announcements. Each departure left viewers questioning whether the network remained connected to the conservative audience that built it.
Bartiromo may not become the next White House press secretary. Vance’s response makes that possibility appear unlikely at this time.
But someone with her experience, knowledge and relationship with the president will not simply disappear from public life.
Whether she joins the administration, launches an independent media platform or moves to another network, Bartiromo’s departure could become another example of a traditional media company underestimating the loyalty viewers have to the individual delivering the news.
Fox may have ended “Mornings with Maria,” but it may have also cleared the way for Maria Bartiromo’s next — and potentially most influential — chapter.
Original article
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