"I'm the 'Ratings Machine!'": Donald Trump fires back at critics, denies calling Fox News after Harris's Convention speech

Washington, DC [US], August 26 : Denying that he called Fox News following Vice President Kamala Harris' Convention speech in Chicago, former US President Donald Trump, fired up at critics saying that he does not call to get on TV, but it is them who call him, reported The Hill.
Describing himself as the 'rating machine', Trump said that it was "Bret Baier of FoxNews" who called and asked him if he would like to critique Harris after she concludes her Convention speech.
"Bret Baier of FoxNews called me, I didn't call him, just prior to the Kamala Convention speech, and asked me if I would like to critique her after she is finished. I agreed to do so!" Trump wrote Sunday on Truth Social.
The New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd stated in an opinion piece that the former president called Fox News and "followed up the posts with a scream-of-consciousness call, filibustering Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum for ten minutes until Baier abruptly cut him off to throw to the Greg Gutfeld comedy show," reported The Hill.
In a response to Dowd's opinion piece, Trump, in a post on Truth Social wrote "I didn't call other media outlets that asked me to go on, they called me. The Fake News, like often 'jilted' Maureen Dowd of the failing New York Times, wrote incorrectly that I was making the calls."
"WRONG!!! I don't have to make calls to go on TV, or anything else -- They call me! It's called Ratings, I guess, and I'm the 'Ratings Machine!'" Trump asserted.
Shortly after Harris wrapped up her speech for and accepted the nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Thursday last week, Trump dialled Fox News to talk with Martha MacCallum and Bret Baier.
Trump looked to be ranting at Harris's remarks during the call, inadvertently pressing buttons on the keypad, according to The Hill. The former president kept talking, and in several instances, Baier and MacCallum tried to cut him off. After ten minutes, the hosts informed Trump that the network had run out of time, and the call came to an end.
Harris was nominated as the Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden quit the presidential race amid mounting concerns over his age, particularly after his poor show in the debate with Donald Trump in June.
Meanwhile, Trump echoed some of his criticism of Harris's address on Sunday as well, labelling it as "weak and nonspecific" and claiming that there was "no mention of fracking, crime, inflation, or anything else of interest" in the speech.
"Delivery was a C+, with far too many and speedy 'thank you's' at the beginning," Trump said in his social media post.
Trump, who is eyeing a comeback to the White House after a bitter exit in 2020, has named JD Vance as his running mate in the race.
He is a venture capitalist and acclaimed author of the best-selling memoir 'Hillbilly Elegy.'
Harris is the first woman of colour and the first Asian American to lead a major party ticket. Harris won 99 per cent of the vote, according to the Democratic National Committee (DNC).
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk last week expressed his willingness to serve after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump hinted that he would consider Elon Musk for a cabinet role or advisory post if he wins.
"I am willing to serve," posted Musk on his 'X' platform after the Trump in a Reuters interview said that Musk will be welcome to become part of the US administration if the Republican candidate wins the US presidential election in November.
Last month, Musk, who owns the social media platform X, endorsed Trump's candidacy after the former president was injured in an attempted assassination in Pennsylvania.
Following the assassination attempt on Trump in Pennsylvania, Musk had endorsed him on the campaign trail and earlier this month the latter had interviewed the former US President on X.
The interview, which claimed Musk was targeted by a massive DDoS attack, was viewed more than a billion times.