Fox News Channel host Kayleigh McEnany closed out the third episode of her new weekend show Saturday in America by focusing on Gallup’s new finding of record-low trust in the media at only 28 percent, which she predictably wasn’t surprised by as evidenced by her time as White House press secretary.

McEnany first took notice this was down from “just 31 percent last year,” 40 percent five years ago, and “in the 1970s, that number, listen to this, was between 68 and 72 percent.”

“Now, when you break this down by party, the numbers tell a story. Democrats trust media by a narrow 51 percent. Independents trust in media? 27 percent. And Republican trust a paltry, eight percent,” she added.

But to further drive this home, she chose three sets of headlines that were “false narratives sown by the media during my time at the White House podium.”

The first concerned the Black Lives Matter riots of 2020:

Let’s walk down memory line. Accountability is important. June 1, 2020. Here was the NPR headline. “Peaceful protests tear gassed to clear way for Trump church photo-op.” You may remember that image. Well, fast-forward a year later. Same publication, NPR: “Watchdog report says police did not clear the way for a Trump photo-op.”

We chronicled the onslaught that she took at the time, particularly two days later when she had to put then-CNN correspondent Jim Acosta in his place for refusing to accept law enforcement have a right to defend themselves and maintain law and order on American streets.

The second set concerned a story some of you may have forgotten about:

Alright, next story, well, [July] 1, 2020: “Afghan contractor handed out Russian cash to kill Americans, officials say.” That’s The New York Times. Well, a year later, “U.S. intel walks back the claim Russians put bounties on American troops.” Are you sensing a trend?

She also had to contend with these lies in real time, as we showed from the June 30, 2020 White House. McEnany condemned the story as having “undermine[d]” President Trump as well as our national security seeing as how other countries may not want to work with us if our intelligence community is filled with people who might leak damaging accusations.

We would add another but similar smear McEnany dealt with was The Atlantic’s infamous “suckers” and “losers” hoax. She took no questions on September 4, 2020 after a lengthy statement ripping The Atlantic and their allies.

Her third and final example concerned the issue that dominated her tenure at the podium:

May 1, 2020: “Fact checker: Was the new coronavirus accidentally released from a Wuhan lab? It’s doubtful,” says The Washington Post. Once again, about a year later: “How the Wuhan lab-leak theory is suddenly” — just suddenly — “became credible.”

“Those are just a few of many debunked headlines. So is the mainstream media full of journalists or activists? Here’s my opinion,” McEnany concluded as a segue into one of her many mic drop moments at the podium:

McEnany pulled on this thread after a break, closing the show alongside senior national correspondent Kevin Corke and sharing a story about Corke from 2020 that doubled as a window into Corke’s character:

So, when I was White House Press Secretary, you got reporters. They’re always calling you, calling, calling, asking for things. It’s their job to ask for things and information, but you called me a few times on a Friday. And I’m like, okay? What does Kevin Corke need. I like him. I want to give him whatever he needs and you would call and you’d just say, “30 seconds, I just want to let know, I’m praying for you. I’m thinking about it. I’ve got you.” And then you’d hang up. And I’ve — I literally remember where I was the first time I got that call. You have no clue how much that meant to me.

Asked why he made those calls, Corke explained McEnany had a “hard” job “putting yourself on the line’ in a “vulnerable” spot, so he felt she needed occasional reassurance.

“[T]here’s an old Bible verse that I really like Matthew 7:8 — you know, I use ask as my pneumonic — you know, ask and you shall receive, you know, seek and you’ll find and knock and it should be open unto you, and I use that to remind myself that, every day if we live like that, we live well. And I really felt like you were always doing that,” he continued.

This led into the two closing out by saying it would behoove those in the political arena to see each other as human beings, created in God’s image (click “expand”):

MCENANY: Matthew 7:8, I love that. And, you know, maybe you can speak to this. I think, you it’s an adversarial role between — 

CORKE: It is.

MCENANY: — a press secretary and journalists — 

CORKE: Yes.

MCENANY: — and it got sporty in the Press Briefing Room, but I always tried to remind myself. Like, behind every question is a questioner, and it’s a person.

CORKE: That’s right.

MCENANY: It’s created in the image of God. So, as sporty as it got, I tried to keep that in mind and how good would it do us as a society if we truly saw each other as what we are, men and women in the eyes of Christ?

CORKE: We are all created by a Creator. We’re not just, you know, I’m sorry, no, no, like, out of a pond and then walking. No. You’re created and I look at people and I think that way. You are just like I am. You are a brother or a sister and my job, such as — I’m older usually than most the people I work with, is to be fair, be guiding when I can, and when I need to be tough, I’m always tough, but I think one of the things that we can all learn from, especially in this environment, politically, socially, is see people for what they are. They are people. Not everybody’s gonna be good. Evil does exist, but they’re people and we can all try to be loving and that’s, I think, our command.

MCENANY: It is such a great message[.]

To see the relevant FNC transcript from October 4, click “expand.”

FNC’s Saturday in America
October 4, 2025
11:50 a.m. Eastern

KAYLEIGH MCENANY: We’ve got some facts for you today. A crisis in confidence for American media. Gallop recorded a new low in Americans’ confidence in mass media. So, look at this. Just 28 percent express a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in newspapers, television, radio to report accurately. Now, that’s up from just 31 percent last year. Five years ago, 40 percent trusted the media. Then in the 1970s, that number, listen to this, was between 68 and 72 percent. What a nosedive in trust for the media. Now, when you break this down by party, the numbers tell a story. Democrats trust media by a narrow 51 percent. Independents trust in media? 27 percent. And Republican trust a paltry, eight percent. Now, this low trust in media comes as no surprise to me. I saw several of this false narratives sown by the media during my time at the White House podium. Many of those headlines were totally and completely debunked after I left the White House. Let’s walk down memory line. Accountability is important. June 1, 2020. Here was the NPR headline. “Peaceful protests tear gassed to clear way for Trump church photo-op.” You may remember that image. Well, fast-forward a year later. Same publication, NPR: “Watchdog report says police did not clear the way for a Trump photo-op.” Alright, next story, well, [July] 1, 2020: “Afghan contractor handed out Russian cash to kill Americans, officials say.” That’s The New York Times. Well, a year later, “U.S. intel walks back the claim Russians put bounties on American troops.” Are you sensing a trend? One more, May 1, 2020: “Fact checker: Was the new coronavirus accidentally released from a Wuhan lab? It’s doubtful,” says The Washington Post. Once again, about a year later: “How the Wuhan lab-leak theory is suddenly” — just suddenly — “became credible.” Washington Post. Those are just a few of many debunked headlines. So is the mainstream media full of journalists or activists? Here’s my opinion.

KAITLAN COLLINS: You haven’t taken my question in —

MCENANY [on 11/20/20] [TO KAITLAN COLLINS]: I don’t call on activists. [BACK LIVE] No wonder trust in media is at an all-time low.

(....)

11:57:00 a.m.
2 minutes and 49 seconds

MCENANY: Well, I was so excited to bring you that media accountability story and I’m excited to bring you, one of my friends, senior national correspondent Kevin Corke. And we’ll get to that story. Kevin, the reason I want you on today was this. You know, I talk about media and distrust. And you’re a shining example of media trust.

KEVIN CORKE: Thank you.

MCENANY: — and people we can trust in media.

CORKE: Very kind.

MCENANY: And I wanted to bring you on to tell you something you may not know. So, when I was White House Press Secretary, you got reporters. They’re always calling you, calling, calling —

CORKE: Oh, yeah.

MCENANY: — asking for things. It’s their job to ask for things and information, but you called me a few times on a Friday.

CORKE: Uh-huh.

MCENANY: And I’m like, okay? What does Kevin Corke need. I like him. I want to give him whatever he needs and you would call and you’d just say, “30 seconds, I just want to let know, I’m praying for you. I’m thinking about it.”

CORKE: That’s true.

MCENANY: “I’ve got you.” And then you’d hang up. And I’ve — I literally remember where I was the first time I got that call. You have no clue how much that meant to me. So, what motivated you to just pick up the phone and call?

CORKE: You’re so sweet. Oh, I’m blushing brown. No, I can just tell you has. I have such great respect. You know, it’s hard. You’re out there. You’re putting yourself on the line. You’re vulnerable, but you’re also trying to help and I know the reporters don’t always feel this way, like, she’s not trying to help. She’s trying to spin or do a job. You’re trying to help the American people understand what’s happening and I just respected that so much. And there’s an old Bible verse that I really like Matthew 7:8 — you know, I use ask as my pneumonic — you know, ask and you shall receive, you know, seek and you’ll find and knock and it should be open unto you, and I use that to remind myself that, every day if we live like that, we live well. And I really felt like you were always doing that. That’s why I admire you.

MCENANY: Matthew 7:8, I love that. And, you know, maybe you can speak to this. I think, you it’s an adversarial role between — 

CORKE: It is.

MCENANY: — a press secretary and journalists — 

CORKE: Yes.

MCENANY: — and it got sporty in the Press Briefing Room, but I always tried to remind myself. Like, behind every question is a questioner, and it’s a person.

CORKE: That’s right.

MCENANY: It’s created in the image of God. So, as sporty as it got, I tried to keep that in mind and how good would it do us as a society if we truly saw each other as what we are, men and women in the eyes of Christ?

CORKE: We are all created by a Creator. We’re not just, you know, I’m sorry, no, no, like, out of a pond and then walking. No. You’re created and I look at people and I think that way. You are just like I am. You are a brother or a sister and my job, such as — I’m older usually than most the people I work with, is to be fair, be guiding when I can, and when I need to be tough, I’m always tough, but I think one of the things that we can all learn from, especially in this environment, politically, socially, is see people for what they are. They are people. Not everybody’s gonna be good. Evil does exist, but they’re people and we can all try to be loving and that’s, I think, our command.

MCENANY: It is such a great message and you are a shining ray of hope in a sea of lost media.