By Isabella Simonetti
After JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon issued a warning Wednesday that a recession was "a likely outcome" of the president's tariff regime, Fox host Maria Bartiromo chatted with a regular viewer.
Bartiromo, global markets editor and host of "Mornings with Maria" on Fox Business Network, said she spoke with President Trump about the interview and the economy after he announced a surprise overhaul of global tariffs that had caused a market meltdown.
"He said Jamie made some good points," Bartiromo said in an interview, referencing her phone call.
Big CEOs had struggled to find a way to get through to Trump during a week in which markets convulsed and businesses scrambled to recalibrate their supply chains, pricing and margins in the face of surprisingly high tariffs. Dimon's appearance on Bartiromo's show -- in which he warned of a likely economic pullback -- registered with the president.
Trump peppered references to the interview into public comments throughout the day.
He referenced the interview in a Truth Social post shortly after Dimon's appearance. When taking questions from reporters later that day after announcing a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs for all trading partners except China, he said he had seen the interview.
Bartiromo, 57 years old, is a Brooklyn native who spent her early career at CNBC, where she garnered the nickname "Money Honey." She became a staple of market coverage from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
She has been with Fox for 11 years, and hosts 16 1/2 hours of programming a week, including "Sunday Morning Futures" on Fox News. She co-moderated two debates during the 2016 election cycle.
Last month, Bartiromo interviewed Trump about tariff policy, asking him about the markets. She regularly interviews CEOs on her show, with this year's lineup featuring Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon and Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan.
Trump is famously fond of news personalities, particularly on Fox, whose shows have become powerful platforms for leaders trying to affect policy.
Bartiromo has been public about her access to the president. She posted a photo of herself and her husband with Trump and Melania Trump on Instagram in December as well as a picture of her sitting at the president's table during an inauguration weekend dinner in January.
His second term has been a boon for the network. Fox, the longtime cable news ratings winner, recently recorded its highest rated quarter in history, and is averaging about 1.9 million daily viewers so far this year. MSNBC has attracted an average of roughly 604,000, with CNN bringing in 430,000 viewers.
"Sunday Morning Futures" has averaged 2.1 million viewers so far this year while the weekday "Mornings with Maria," on Fox Business, is averaging 116,000 viewers, up 14% from the same period in 2024, according to Nielsen data provided by Fox. CNBC's "Squawk Box" is bringing in 112,000 viewers, up 18% from the prior-year period.
Fox News parent Fox Corp. and The Wall Street Journal parent News Corp share common ownership.
The Dimon interview had been scheduled about a month before the Trump administration unveiled its vast tariff plan. As more executives began to speak out against the proposal, Dimon knew Trump and his inner circle could tune in for his interview, the Journal has reported.
"The only interest guiding President Trump's decision-making is the best interest of the American people," said White House spokesman Kush Desai. He said the president had received "good-faith commitments from a majority of our trading partners willing to strike favorable trade deals."
Bartiromo said she earned the president's esteem when she was critical of allegations that Russia interfered in the 2016 election on his behalf.
"I've known President Trump a long time, and I know that he respects my work," she said.
Comments that she and others have made on her show were featured in Dominion Voting Systems' defamation lawsuit against Fox over false allegations that the voting machine company helped rig the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Fox settled with Dominion in 2023 for $787.5 million.
She is a defendant in a defamation lawsuit by Smartmatic over false claims that the voting technology company helped rig the 2020 presidential election. A New York state appeals court in January issued a ruling that allows the case to proceed toward trial.
"Smartmatic grossly inflated its damage claims to generate headlines and chill free speech," A Fox spokeswoman said. "We are eager and ready to continue defending our press freedoms," she added.
Bartiromo's take on Trump's tariff plans was at times more pointed than other Fox hosts.
"Everyone was very excited about President Trump's agenda, deregulation, tapping into energy, tax cuts, and now, boom. With these tariffs, everything has changed," Bartiromo said in an interview Wednesday with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. "Why are we doing this?"
Write to Isabella Simonetti at isabella.simonetti@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 11, 2025 17:20 ET (21:20 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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