Fox Business Host Airs ‘Dirty Laundry’ Amid Frustrations With Trump Admin

Dagen McDowell, a host of Fox Business’ “The Big Money Show,” publicly criticized the Trump administration’s communications teams on Tuesday for their unresponsiveness.

“Some of the people in communications at The White House, in the Treasury, will not respond to the show trying to just book anybody to talk about this economy. They won’t even answer the show,” McDowell said on air Tuesday.

Newsweek reached out to FOX News Media (FNM) for comment via email on Tuesday.

Why It Matters

McDowell’s frustration throws a spotlight on a critical issue: the current economic instability under the Trump administration and the challenge journalists face in obtaining timely and clear information directly from government sources.

The Trump administration has changed who has access to the president, adding smaller outlets to the press pool and restricting access for The Associated Press.

What To Know

McDowell, a seasoned broadcaster and founding anchor of FOX Business Network (FBN) since its launch in 2007, expressed her dissatisfaction on air Tuesday, revealing that attempts by “The Big Money Show” to engage with the administration on economic discussions have been met with silence.

“I’m just saying, if they wanna communicate with the American people… the people who work for these Treasury Secretaries need to answer a text message. It’s shameful,” McDowell said, adding, “I’ll air dirty laundry all day, cause I don’t care.”

McDowell also called out U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for appearing on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” last Friday, calling it “one of the lowest-rate shows.” She criticized the decision for being ineffective for communicating with the public.

Bessent discussed various topics on the CNBC show, including the U.S. economy, trade relations and the effects of Trump’s tariffs.

The current economic climate under the Trump administration has been marked by uncertainty, with fluctuations in tariffs and concerns over a potential recession. As such, the media’s role in clarifying these policies could be seen as more crucial than ever—making the administration’s alleged unresponsiveness to media inquiries a cause of concern for some.

What People Are Saying

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Friday: “Could we be seeing that this economy that we inherited starting to roll a bit? Sure. And look, there’s going to be a natural adjustment as we move away from public spending to private spending. The market and the economy have just become hooked. We’ve become addicted to this government spending, and there’s gonna be a detox period.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a briefing Tuesday: “When it comes to the stock market, the numbers we see today, the numbers we saw yesterday, the numbers we will see tomorrow, are a snapshot in a moment in time. And as President Trump has said… we are in a period of economic transition. We are in a period of transition from the mess that was created under Joe Biden and the previous administration.”

President Donald Trump told Fox News in an interview aired Sunday regarding a potential recession: “I hate to predict things like that. There is a period of transition because what we’re doing is very big. We’re bringing wealth back to America.”

What Happens Next

It remains to be seen if and how the Trump administration will respond to McDowell’s criticisms. Any future approach to media engagement from the administration may play a crucial role in shaping public perception and understanding of economic policies.