Fact check: How many former Fox News employees worked in the Trump White House?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, there is no single definitive count of former Fox News employees who worked in the Trump White House. However, the sources provide several key data points:

• Media Matters reported that Trump named 20 Fox-affiliated people to his administration during his first four-year term ^[1]
• Trump has recruited 23 current or former Fox News employees for his administration since taking office according to one analysis ^[2]
• For his second term, Trump has proposed 19 former Fox News hosts, journalists, and commentators for senior positions ^{[2] [1]}

The most comprehensive list identifies 23 specific individuals including Jeanine Pirro, Kayleigh McEnany, Pete Hegseth, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Sean Duffy, Dr. Oz, Lara Trump, Sergio Gor, Kellyanne Conway, Tulsi Gabbard, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Dan Bongino, Sebastian Gorka, Michael Waltz, Morgan Ortagus, Tom Homan, Larry Kudlow, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Leo Terrell, Monica Crowley, Tammy Bruce, Keith Kellogg, and Martin Makary ^[3].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks important contextual distinctions that affect the answer:

• The analyses don't clearly differentiate between Trump's first term (2017-2021) and his proposed second term appointments ^{[2] [1]}
• There's no distinction made between "current" and "former" Fox News employees at the time of their appointments - some may have left Fox specifically to join the administration ^[2]
• The definition of "worked in the Trump White House" varies - some sources include broader administration positions beyond just White House staff ^[3]
• Liberal watchdog group Media Matters is specifically cited as the source for the "20 Fox-affiliated people" figure, suggesting this count may come from critics rather than neutral observers ^[1]

Organizations that benefit from highlighting this Fox News-Trump connection include:

• Media watchdog groups that can use these numbers to argue about media-government relationships
• Political opponents who can point to potential conflicts of interest
• Competing news networks that can question Fox News' journalistic independence

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question appears neutral but assumes there is a clear, countable answer when the analyses show significant ambiguity in how to define and count these positions ^{[3] [2]}. The question doesn't specify:

• Whether it refers to Trump's first term, second term, or both
• Whether "worked in" means specifically White House positions or broader administration roles
• Whether it includes people who were current Fox employees when appointed or only those who had previously left Fox

The lack of comprehensive, consistent counting across sources suggests that different organizations may be using different criteria to arrive at their numbers, making any single answer potentially misleading without proper context about methodology and scope.