Trump plans to be a regular Fox News contributor — from the Oval Office

Kellyanne Conway announced that Trump will become a regular contributor to Fox News, no doubt so he can use the right-wing propaganda network to spread his message unfiltered.

Conway appeared on “Fox & Friends,” the program Trump obsessively watches and live-tweets on a disturbingly regular basis, and told the surprised hosts, “the president has said that he would like to, perhaps, come once a month (to Fox and Friends) and as news breaks.”

According to Conway, Trump “appreciated the platform” given to him on Fox Thursday morning, saying, “everybody had to replay your clips — that must have been delicious to some of them.”

So now when Trump isn’t golfing or engaging in the TV news watching binges he refers to as “executive time,” he will apparently be appearing on Fox. It is a redefinition of his job to effectively become a hype man for a television network, but cheap salesmanship has been the hallmark of Trump’s career.

Conway also referenced the regular call-ins Trump made “every Monday” on Fox News before he became a political figure. She said those interviews offered “some clues” as to how he would govern.

She is correct, but perhaps not in the manner she intended. When Trump was a Fox regular, he used his position to promote the racist birther conspiracy that alleged President Obama was not born in the United States.

He also used those segments to push bigoted comments about Latino immigrants and voiced other conspiracy theories.

Unfortunately, he has taken the hate and discrimination to the White House, along with the paranoid conspiracies. He has pushed for a Muslim ban, yammered on about Latinos as rapists, and repeatedly refers to a “deep state” conspiracy undermining his presidency.

Conway also that Trump enjoys doing interviews, but he has largely avoided the press questioning him in situations he cannot control.

He has only given one formal solo presidential press conference, which is the least for any president in U.S. history.

He occasionally goes to Fox for softball interviews with hosts that are unabashed supporters of his, like Sean Hannity, Jeanine Pirro, and Lou Dobbs, but avoids those who might question the decisions that have contributed to his unpopularity.

Trump would not even sit with NBC for a pre-Super Bowl interview, even though Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush did so on multiple occasions.

Trump needs to be surrounded by sycophants and yes men. Joining Fox News is perfectly in sync with that desire.

Using the presidency to grant legitimacy to right-wing propaganda is not normal behavior, but it is a natural outgrowth of who Trump has always been.