Donald Trump celebrated on Thursday after Fox News announced Neil Cavuto was leaving its airwaves after 28 years at the network.
“GOOD NEWS FOR AMERICA! Neil Cavuto, the Lowest Rated Anchor on Fox, by far, is leaving – Should have happened a long time ago!” the president-elected posted on his Truth Social platform.
Cavuto had been with the network since its formation in 1996. He oversaw business coverage at both Fox News and Fox Business.
According to recent ratings data posted by Fox News, the anchor’s “Your World with Neil Cavuto,” “Cavuto Live” and “Cavuto: Coast to Coast” programs were all popular across cable news. “Your World” was among the top 12 cable news shows of the year.
HuffPost has requested comment from Fox News on Trump’s statement.
Cavuto differentiated himself from many of his colleagues at the conservative network by criticizing Trump openly over the years, routinely drawing Trump’s ire and catching flak from viewers. The president-elect has called Cavuto “garbage” and has repeatedly claimed the journalist has poor ratings.
Announcing his departure on “Your World” Thursday, Cavuto told viewers, “I’m not leaving journalism. I’m just leaving here.”
“But I’m forever grateful to my bosses here. They’ve been very good to me these many years and offered a very generous opportunity for me to stay years more,” he said.
He acknowledged that he had ticked some viewers off, apparently “a lot” over the years, but thanked all those who watched his shows.
He ended with a a note of positivity, saying he wanted not to focus on “all the stuff that divides us or the nastiness that embitters us, but the far more important stuff that unites us and defines us and lifts us.”
“That is why I say goodbye with only good thoughts and good wishes,” he said.
Watch his on-air farewell below.