Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson texted anchor Bret Baier in November 2020, voicing concerns that former President Trump would "blame" the network when he lost the election, according to text messages obtained by The Daily Beast.
"See if there's any way I could help calm viewers down," Carlson said to Baier. "When Trump loses, he's going to blame us. That's going to be very bad."
The messages, which are reportedly part of redacted court filings in Dominion Voting Systems' former defamation case against Fox News, show the two Fox News personalities discussing the backlash the network faced after calling Arizona for President Biden.
"I continue to think the company isn't taking the [sic] seriously enough," Carlson texted Baier on Nov. 5, 2020, according to The Daily Beast. "We need to do something to reassure our core audience. They're our whole business model."
"We have been pushing for answers," Baier responded. "I have pressed them to slow. And I think they will slow walk Nevada. The votes don't come in until tomorrow."
Baier sent an email on Nov. 5, urging the network to withdraw its call for Arizona, The New York Times' Peter Baker and The New Yorker's Susan Glasser reported in their book last year. They also previously reported that the Fox Decision Desk was not allowed to call Nevada for Biden.
"Please let me know if they don't seem to be obeying," Carlson said in response to Baier's comments about Nevada. "We could really f- up a lot of what we've built."
"I've got four more years here," Carlson also said in the messages. "I'm stuck with Fox. Got to do whatever I can to keep our numbers up and our viewers happy."
Following Fox News' massive $787 million dollar settlement with Dominion Voting Systems last month, Carlson was booted from his primetime hosting slot at the network.
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