In a rare moment of accountability, Fox News anchor Julie Banderas delivered an on-air correction Wednesday after the network incorrectly reported that former First Lady Melania Trump would be speaking at the Republican National Convention.
The embarrassing retraction came during Banderas's evening news program, where she acknowledged that earlier coverage had been inaccurate. "We want to make it very clear that Mrs. Trump was never scheduled to speak tonight," Banderas stated directly to viewers.
The false report had circulated earlier in the day, creating significant anticipation among Trump supporters and political observers. Multiple Fox News personalities and programs had promoted the expectation that Melania Trump would address the convention, only to have those claims proven wrong as the evening's speaker lineup was revealed.
This incident marks another instance of the conservative network facing scrutiny over its political reporting accuracy. The correction was particularly notable given Fox News's close relationship with the Trump family and its typically supportive coverage of the former president and his associates.
Political media analysts noted that such explicit corrections are uncommon on the network, making Banderas's straightforward admission particularly noteworthy. The incident highlights the challenges news organizations face in reporting on the notoriously private former first lady, who has maintained a relatively low public profile since leaving the White House.
As the RNC continued in Cleveland, the correction served as a reminder of the intense speculation surrounding Melania Trump's convention role and the competitive pressure on news outlets to break stories about high-profile political figures.
