What is amusing about Trump now openly stating his intention to create his own television network to rival and undermine FoxNews is this was Trump's original plan in 2015. Trump had seen how Sarah Palin, after being part of a losing national political campaign, raised tens of millions of dollars as she dangled her idea to run for president in 2012, and then, at the last minute, decided against it. Trump also tired of his continual negotiations with NBC over "The Apprentice," as the show's popularity continually waned after a big-hit premiere season. Trump really went "off the rails" when he learned pop singer (and former indie rocker) Gwen Stefani was making more money per episode of "The Voice" than he was on "The Apprentice."
Trump, of course, had it in for Obama, with the endless tweets during Obama's second term especially, which tweets ironically have proven to apply more to Trump. Trump therefore decided he would run for president, and expected, and actually wanted, to lose--but, in the meantime, build an Internet-based television network that also relied heavily on social media to promote the network. Then, a sad thing happened to Trump. He won in 2016. It is why there is evidence of Trump and his wife being so weirdly sad the night he won in 2016. The only thing Trump cared about then was to figure out a way to make the grift work while in the White House. That helps explain why he didn't care for following norms in the transition, as he was already focused on how he would leverage his properties for White House business, continue to play golf nearly every week, and ensure the government compensated his various businesses he was going to be still conducting.
Of course, the irony is FoxNews was initially wary of Trump, as Roger Ailes knew Trump for decades and knew Trump was a con man. However, FoxNews eventually fell in line with its viewers, who were swooning to Trump's siren song, so cleverly crafted over the Obama years and with a symbiotic relationship to right-wing hate talk radio--even as, in the waning weeks of the 2016, Trump was already plotting to create his own Trump branded network to rival FoxNews.
However, this new push for a TrumpTV network hinges on Trump not being indicted or convicted following his one-term presidency. This is why Trump needs to continue creating enough chaos for leverage to negotiate federal and state pardons for him and the Trump Family Syndicate. If Trump gets his pardons, Trump will certainly find financial institutions and groups ready to lend him money to spew truly Q-Anon level poison into the homes and motor vehicles of his never-give-up fans. Trump will finally have won what he actually sought, and not be as bothered by ethics rules and laws any longer.
