Donald Trump once again turned to his favorite cable channel to staff up his administration, this time naming Fox News host Mark Levin to his “revamped” Homeland Security Advisory Council.
Besides Levin, who has shifted from “Never Trumper” to devoted MAGA acolyte in recent years, the president also added former Fox News contributor Bo Dietl, the bombastic former New York cop who was let go by the conservative network in 2016 after it was revealed Roger Ailes hired him to discredit the disgraced former Fox News chief’s accusers.
“I am proud to announce the formation of my revamped Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC), which is comprised of Top Experts in their field, who are highly respected by their peers. It is a big honor to serve on HSAC, and I know the new Members, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, Mark Levin, Bo Dietl, and Joseph Gruters, will do an incredible job,” Trump declared Thursday night on Truth Social.
“Under Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s leadership, HSAC will work hard on developing new Policies and Strategies that will help us secure our Border, deport Illegal Criminal Thugs, stop the flow of Fentanyl and other illegal drugs that are killing our Citizens, and MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN,” he added. “Congratulations to all!”
Levin, who also hosts a nationally syndicated radio show that pulls in millions of listeners, quickly reacted to the appointment on social media. “What an honor! Thank you, Mr. President!” Levin tweeted.
Prior to becoming a right-wing media personality, Levin served in the Reagan administration. Beginning at a former agency that oversaw AmeriCorps VISTA, Levin advanced up the ladder, working as the deputy solicitor of the Department of the Interior and the deputy assistant secretary of the Department of Education before eventually settling into the role of chief of staff to Attorney General Edwin Meese.
He would then practice law at a private firm before eventually transitioning into conservative punditry, ultimately securing his first radio slot in 2002. The Mark Levin Show became nationally syndicated in 2006, and Levin was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2018. He joined Fox News in 2017, and his weekend talk show Life, Liberty & Levin debuted the following year.
The HSAC appointment of Levin, who has offered up some occasional criticism of the administration’s foreign policy stances, comes as more than 20 other former Fox News personalities have scored jobs in the second Trump administration. Even more so than in his first term, which featured a revolving door between the White House and the right-wing network, Trump has leaned heavily on the conservative cable giant to not only get his message out but also fill prominent positions in his cabinet.
One-time Fox & Friends Weekend co-host Pete Hegseth, for instance, was installed as the Secretary of Defense, while Trump made Sean Duffy – a former Fox Business host who got his start on MTV’s The Real World – his transportation secretary. The administration’s director of national intelligence is Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic congresswoman who completed her MAGA transformation as a Fox News commentator.
While the network didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, it would not appear that Fox News would require him to step aside from his show while serving in an advisory capacity to the president. Earlier this year, Trump named MAGA-boosting Fox hosts Maria Bartiromo and Laura to the board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Both women continued to host their respective programs.
