Donald Trump is famously open to suggestion, for better or for worse, liable to dramatically change his opinion on everything from banning TikTok to choosing a vice president, depending on who is in his ear at the moment, whether it’s on the phone or on the Mar-a-Lago patio. “Any person has a say,” said a former Republican Party official, referring to Trump’s veep deliberations. “He hears from major donors, rally goers, a police officer, a person on the photo line—he’s always polling different people. Doesn’t matter if you’re the campaign manager or the person serving pizza at the campaign stop.”

Of course, the people with the most sway tend to be those with major media platforms, or a lot of money, or both—a fact not lost on Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity, former colleagues and frenemies who are lobbying hard for their candidates. Nor is it lost on Rupert Murdoch, who has fallen out with Trump over the years but is still finding ways to put his finger on the scale via Fox News and the New York Post, according to sources… even if a Murdoch thumbs-up could backfire.