As succession battle looms, James Murdoch endorses Kamala Harris

Rupert Murdoch’s son James has endorsed Kamala Harris for president days before a succession battle over the future political direction of his family’s news empire.

James Murdoch, 51, added his name to a list of 88 US business leaders who have thrown their support behind the Democratic nominee in what they called an effort to preserve American democracy.

Rupert Murdoch and his son James Murdoch.Credit: AP

In a veiled attack on Donald Trump, they said Ms Harris would guarantee “fair and predictable policies that support the rule of law”.

It comes two days after Trump floated Elon Musk as a cabinet secretary overseeing government efficiency if he were to win in November.

The wave of endorsements for Harris included former chief executives of PepsiCo and Ford. But James Murdoch’s inclusion is likely to raise eyebrows. He was the 21st Century Fox chief executive before being replaced by his more conservative elder brother Lachlan as head of the Murdoch empire.

The more liberal-leaning James put his name to the list of endorsements ahead of the courtroom showdown in Nevada over the Murdoch Family Trust.

The beneficiaries of the trust are the media mogul’s four oldest children, Prudence, Elisabeth, Lachlan and James, who have equal voting rights to select the head of the influential Fox News in the absence of patriarch Rupert, 93.

But Rupert Murdoch is seeking to alter the trust to ensure Lachlan remains in control after his death to preserve the media businesses as a conservative force – a move that James and his other siblings oppose.

Rupert Murdoch will have to prove to a probate court that he is acting “in good faith and for the sole benefit of the heirs”, despite the opposition of three of those heirs.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris greets people in North Hampton, New Hampshire. Credit: AP

Edmund Gorman, the Reno court’s probate commissioner, has determined the case to be top secret and the court date in September has not yet been made public.

The Murdoch empire has been credited with supporting Trump’s political rise to the presidency but relations have been tense in recent years.

The Fox network clashed with the former president after his claims the 2020 election was stolen. But Trump has since begun appearing more regularly on the station, with reports that the Trump campaign has been courting Lachlan.

It comes at a time when Trump is falling behind Harris in a campaign funding battle, with the vice-president raising $361 million (£275 million) in August, nearly three times as much as Trump’s $US130 million.

Polls also show that Harris’s running mate Tim Walz is burying his counterpart JD Vance in approval ratings. A survey this week found 48 per cent of likely voters say they see “Coach” Walz in a positive light compared to 37 per cent saying the same for Vance.

Concerns over weakness of Trump’s campaign and the dynamics of the US presidential race have been made clear by a shift in emphasis.

Trump’s campaign appears less focused in New Hampshire, Minnesota and Virginia, but is pouring resources into the must-win “blue wall” states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, which are crucial to both sides’ chances of winning.

In her second interview since becoming presidential nominee, Harris said on Friday she planned to cap the cost of insulin, promoted a tax credit for new home buyers and said billionaires would pay more in taxes.

She took a shot at Trump for inheriting money and still going bankrupt six times in a speech that appeared to be aimed at winning over Latino voters among whom she leads over Trump by 27 points.

Telegraph, London

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