'Everything Is Fake': Donald Trump Ridiculed After Getting Caught on Hot Mic Ordering Fox News Host to 'Praise' His Cabinet Meeting

President Donald Trump was caught on a hot mic telling a Fox News host to praise his first cabinet meeting as the press filed out of the room.

The incident led to several critics calling out the commander-in-chief and the conservative network for "manipulating audiences" from behind-the-scenes.

At the end of the cabinet meeting, Trump spoke with Lawrence Jones of Fox News's Fox & Friends, which didn’t make the White House feed but was shown on a longer-running livestream.

The president was caught telling the Fox News host: "Look at Lawrence! This guy’s making a fortune! He never had it so good! ... Lawrence, say we did a great job, please. Okay? Say it was unbelievable!"

One critic took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share a clip of the moment and wrote: "Trump dictating to Lawrence Jones to praise him to his audience. Everything is fake with Trump."

Another X user commented: "We no longer have Freedom of the Press, it’s now Manipulation of the Press."

A third person shared: "Reporters who allow themselves to be intimidated by the powerful should not be assigned to cover the almost tyrant Trump on the road to dictators. Are paved by a cowered press."

Trump has decided to take control of the media rotation, determining which outlets will cover his movements—an action traditionally managed by the White House Correspondents Association.

The decision, announced by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, has sparked widespread criticism, with even some members of Fox News, a typically right-leaning outlet, voicing their disapproval.

Following the announcement, right-leaning personalities like Brian Glenn and James Rosen have swiftly been added to the press pool.

Jones went on to praise how the meeting was conducted on Fox & Friends.

"The president picked Cabinet members that can really present his ideas, their ideas clearly. He doesn’t have to worry about them going out and blowing everything up – everybody is on the same page," co-host Steve Doocy noted during the broadcast.

"I find it great, too," Jones reacted. "These are guys that normally — and gals — are used to communicating their ideas. They share the vision of the president, and they are communicating it in such a succinct way. I don’t think we have seen this ever in an administration."

Conservative SiriusXM host Megyn Kelly is less than enthusiastic about the briefing and the Trump administration’s decision to dictate which reporters are assigned to the White House press pool.

Kelly said she felt "uncomfortable” with the new arrangement, telling her guest Buck Sexton, "Typically the media will decide who can do pool because it’s very expensive and everybody understands it’s important that you get somebody in there who’s really going to tell you what happened."

"So I will say for the record, I don’t know how I feel about the White House saying, ‘We’re now going to decide who’s in pool.’ It’s not the same as saying ‘We’re going to bring in new voices to the press briefing room’ I love all that, but I actually happen to believe the media should decide who’s in pool, like, because it’s a matter of resources," she explained.