President Barack Obama blamed Democrats' difficulty connecting with voters in the election partially on the prevalence of Fox News, in an interview with Rolling Stone.
"In this election, [white working class voters] turned out in huge numbers for Trump," Obama said, answering Jann Wenner about why that group, which he won a good percentage of in 2008 and 2012, didn't vote for the candidate he endorsed. "And I think that part of it has to do with our inability, our failure, to reach those voters effectively. Part of it is Fox News in every bar and restaurant in big chunks of the country, but part of it is also Democrats not working at a grassroots level, being in there, showing up, making arguments.
"That part of the critique of the Democratic Party is accurate. We spend a lot of time focused on international policy and national policy and less time being on the ground. And when we're on the ground, we do well."
The president went on to comment on the rise of fake news online, particularly on social media.
"One of the challenges that we've been talking about now is the way social media and the internet have changed what people receive as news. I was just talking to my political director, David Simas. He was looking at his Facebook page and some links from high school friends of his, some of whom were now passing around crazy stuff about, you know, Obama has banned the Pledge of Allegiance."
Last year, Obama said Fox News "propagated" negative stereotypes about the poor, according to The Daily Caller.
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