For Trump and Fox News, New Policies Are Simply ‘Common Sense’

President Trump’s rapid-fire policy actions are reshaping the federal government, and to Fox News, they are simply pursuing “common sense.”

Enacting “bold and sometimes painful measures” is worth it, one Fox News host said, to arrive at “common sense.” Mr. Trump’s term so far, another Fox pundit concluded, could be summed up with that simple catchphrase: It’s a “restoration of common sense.”

“Trump isn’t radical — he’s just radically changing our country back to normal,” Jesse Watters said during Monday’s episode of “Jesse Watters Primetime.” He said Mr. Trump’s plans to “deport migrants” and cut waste were “all common-sense moves.”

The flood of “common sense” comments on Fox News echoes the language Mr. Trump and his new administration have used to justify his policies — many of which have deeply divided the country, polls have shown. The administration has deployed the slogan to support a range of actions, from banning paper straws to reversing efforts to stem climate change, and has described his first weeks as a “revolution in common sense.”

“It’s easy to do a good job when you are acting on common sense and you are speaking the truth,” said Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, at a recent briefing.

The shared language reflects the deepening ties between the government and the right-wing media, especially Fox News, by far the nation’s most popular cable news network. Nearly 20 former Fox News alumni have joined the administration, including at the highest levels, with the former hosts Pete Hegseth taking over the Pentagon and Sean Duffy leading the Transportation Department. Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law, has received her own show on the network.