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It's no secret Fox News anchor Sean Hannity and former president Donald Trump are close.
Hannity, who The New York Times notes has been called "the shadow chief of staff," goes beyond pushing talking points when it comes to showing his support for Trump. The two are inexplicably linked, with Hannity being one of the people White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany thanked for helping try to keep Trump under control in the days leading up to January 6, 2021.
But the bond between the two powerful men hasn't always been easy to navigate. In 2016, Hannity was reprimanded by Fox News for "endorsing Trump in a campaign video," as reported by Mike Bender, a senior White House reporter for The Wall Street Journal. In 2018, the news anchor was cautioned by the network once again after joining then-president Trump on stage during a campaign rally.
2020 brought its own challenges, and Hannity was allegedly a part of the crew that designed a campaign ad for Trump specifically targeting Joe Biden. As reported by The Guardian, Hannity reportedly created an ad where Biden was referred to as a "swamp creature." The ad was only seen, The Guardian reports, on Fox News during Hannity's nightly show and made claims that Biden wanted to raise taxes by "trillions" and had "turned his back on law enforcement." Following the election, Hannity perpetuated the message that the election was a fraud, per New York Magazine.
With all of that...
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