In what feels like a previous life when I lived in Washington, D.C., I used to appear frequently on all three cable news networks as a political analyst.
Before Donald Trump ever ran for president , I had already gotten to know most Fox News hosts professionally.
All were unfailingly friendly when the cameras were off, but two, Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson, became animated and combative when the cameras turned on. Even then, among all cable news hosts, Hannity and Carlson were the ones who seemed to be performing, playing characters they knew their audience wanted to watch.