Inside Trump's blow-up at Fox News over El-Sayed coverage

Republicans have spent months griping privately to Fox News about coverage they argue is helping Abdul El-Sayed , Michigan's Democratic nominee for Senate, moderate his image.

The frustration boiled into public view Tuesday when President Trump lashed out at his favorite network.

Why it matters: Republicans worry that Fox is undercutting their efforts to brand the charismatic El-Sayed as a liberal who's far outside the mainstream.

Polls show El-Sayed, a critic of Israel's government who'd be the first Muslim elected to the U.S.

Senate, in a tight race against former Rep.

Mike Rogers (R).

Behind the scenes: White House officials reached out to Fox on Tuesday to complain about anchor Martha MacCallum's interview with El-Sayed, according to people familiar with the conversations.

On Truth Social, Trump blasted the interview as "softball." "Fox is promoting the Dumocrats, not the Republicans and MAGA.

They have totally lost their way!" he wrote.

The White House's frustration over Fox's coverage of El-Sayed had been bubbling for weeks before Trump's post.

Senior GOP operatives repeatedly contacted Fox producers and executives in early August, warning that El-Sayed could use favorable commentary from host Jesse Watters to cast himself as moderate.

After El-Sayed's upset primary win over an establishment-backed candidate, Watters said: "You gotta respect Abdul because he beat the [Democratic] machine." Later that month, El-Sayed released a TV ad featuring Watters' remark.

His campaign called Watters an "unlikely validator." Republicans were reassured when Watters pressed El-Sayed on his criticism of ICE, support for Medicare for All and opinion on Sharia law during an Aug.

24 interview — only to be frustrated again when Watters said the next day: "I actually like Abdul.