Watch Out Fox News — Trump News May Be in the Works

Donald Trump may be seeking to leverage his unforeseen rise to political stardom and his massive commercial appeal to launch his own cable TV network, according to an exclusive story from Vanity Fair.

In an article titled, "Is Donald Trump's Endgame the Launch of Trump News?" Sarah Ellison reports that multiple sources have confirmed discussing the idea with the presumptive Republican frontrunner.

Details on the plan remain unclear, with sources tossing around words like "new media platform" and "mini-media conglomerate," and Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks emphatically denies the reports. But Ellison draws a comparison to Oprah Winfrey's television network OWN.

Is the idea outlandish? Maybe, but hardly unthinkable.

Trump has shown his media prowess again and again during the primary campaign and has clearly developed a devoted following. He's even gone up against the Fox News behemoth and won, or at least come to a draw, on several occasions.

In the words of one of Vanity Fair's unnamed sources, "Win or lose, we are onto something here. We’ve triggered a base of the population that hasn’t had a voice in a long time.”

It's hard to imagine the president starting a TV network or media conglomerate, as you would think he might have other thing on his plate. And the Federal Communications Commission has strict rules about radio an television stations that give unequal time to particular political candidates.

But "Trump TV" could make for an ambitious plan B to the reality show star's political aspirations.

Trump has already benefited from disdain for the "mainstream" media, which seems to be any outlet that offers criticism of his candidacy. And he's shown a strong desire to exert control over those who cover him, as he recently withdrew the Washington Post's press credentials because of the paper's apparently unfavorable reporting.

Ellison's article also suggests that Trump may be resentful that media companies profit by running Trump stories while he seems none of this money.

If he doesn't win the election in November, Trump will have plenty of viable paths forward, even if he doesn't decide to become the next Rupert Murdoch or Michael Bloomberg — Hillary Clinton could give him some tips on earning money solo through speaking fees.

Read More at Vanity Fair >>

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