As the loudest conservative TV megaphone and president-elect of Donald Trump view option accessed, Fox News Channel he would seem to be standing on top of the world. However, as the network has discovered in the past, the silver lining associated with the victory of its favorite candidate comes with its share of dark clouds.

In the plus column, Fox’s ratings are up immediately after the election, as Trump fans took a victory lap and the network would enjoy full access to the new administration, Trump practically took up residence on the channel during the campaign, giving interviews to friendly personalities like Sean . Hannity, Laura Ingraham and The fox and friends band.

Trump has also shown a penchant for using Fox’s talking heads for political roles, a revolving door that already revolves with weekend host Pete Hegseth. surprise selection to serve as secretary of defense.

Yet the benefits of Fox’s cozy, almost symbiotic relationship with Trump have the potential to be a decidedly mixed bag — a dream come true with its own nightmare aspects.

Perhaps first, that starts with the network sacrificing its outsider status to become the mouthpiece of the White House instead of the strongest and best-known platform for the party out of power, hurling criticism at its Democratic incumbent.

Besides, as Trump said on the campaign trail, almost no show of faith or mastery is enough to satisfy him. In Trump’s eyes, that includes publicly complaining that Fox accepted ads critical of him or booking proxies for his opponent, Kamala Harris, prompting him to post on his social media site in the closing days of the race, “FOX NEWS IS NOT OUR FRIENT. It’s crazy!”

Competitively, Trump’s first term helped MSNBC enjoy an increase in what amounted to the voice of the opposition. While many of the channel’s liberal viewers have fled — perhaps choosing to self-medicate by temporarily quitting after their latest election disappointment — new scandals will bring some back, or at least make MSNBC their first stop when checking out what became a frenetic news. cycle only during the transition period.

Of course, being the main stop for Republican news will give Fox some advantage, but that could easily be offset by the weight of Trump expecting, if not demanding, the network to continually give him a home-field advantage .

It’s also worth noting that a few key things have changed since Trump’s 2016 presidential run, which began at Fox under then-CEO Roger Ailes. Despite personal setbacks that resulted in his expulsion Four months before the election, amid allegations of sexual misconduct, Ailes fiercely protected the Fox brand, supporting Republican candidates but always putting the network’s prosperity first — and exerting influence over its top talent.

Still part of 93-year-old mogul Rupert Murdoch’s media empire, Fox is now under the more direct leadership of his son, Lachlan, who does not appear to exert the same control over Fox’s big names, who appear to have been encouraged by new, since Trump won, raising questions about who’s really holding the fire there. The company’s majority for Trump also proved costly as it echoed and amplified falsehoods about the outcome of the 2020 election, leading to the $787 million settlement. won by Dominion Voting Systems which the Murdochs and their lawyers would certainly prefer not to risk repeating.

Fox paid a literal price, in other words, for its loyalty to Trump. Nor should it be overlooked that Rupert Murdoch is embroiled in a legal tussle with his other grown children in what feels like a HBO’s art version of life imitates Series; or that the cable television model that made Fox so profitable is gradually collapsing as cable news viewers age and digital options nibble at its business.

While the adage “Once bitten, twice shy” has rarely seemed to inform the behavior of most Fox hosts, at the corporate level an occasional wave of the caution flag, especially in the face of Trump’s more outlandish moments, seems prudent.

In late 2000, as Bill Clinton neared the end of his presidency, the radio titan Rush Limbaugh he laughed off the suggestion that having a Republican in the White House would in any way hinder his ability to connect with listeners or make his job more difficult.

“Liberals are always my target. The idea that I won’t have anything to say because Clinton is gone is ridiculous,” the bombastic host he told me for Los Angeles Timesadding regarding his ratings: “I’ve always said it doesn’t matter who wins the election.”

Like Fox, Limbaugh has prospered over the decades, but it’s hard to argue that his “targets” had the same impact, or weight, when they were mere members of Congress compared to the president of the United States and those closest to him. his.

Of course, the late host liked to say that he possessed talent “on loan from God.” To avoid the possible pitfalls of Trump Part II from turning into another example of a disappointing sequel, Fox may need its own help from a higher power.

Brian Lowry is a media columnist and critic who previously worked for CNN, Variety and the Los Angeles Times.