| 1 | A truce to prevent Trump from potentially damaging the Fox News brand. |
| 2 | Until Thursday's GOP debate, Fox News chairman Roger Ailes and Donald Trump had been executing one of the most successful examples of media synergy in recent memory. |
| 3 | But the Trump-Ailes alliance - which helped generate a record debate audience of 24 million - has been in tatters ever since Fox's debate moderators peppered Trump with critical questions onstage in Cleveland. |
| 4 | From the moment Trump faced reporters in the post-debate "Spin Room," he's been attacking the network's treatment of him, with special venom reserved for Megyn Kelly. |
| 5 | Now, it appears both sides want peace. |
| 6 | This morning, Trump tweeted that Ailes called to assure him that Fox will cover him "fairly" going forward. |
| 7 | According to two high-level Fox sources, Ailes's diplomacy was the result of increasing concern inside Fox News that Trump could damage the network. |
| 8 | Immediately following Thursday's debate, Fox was deluged with pro-Trump emails. |
| 9 | The chatter on Twitter was equally in Trump's favor. |
| 10 | "In the beginning, virtually 100 percent of the emails were against Megyn Kelly," one Fox source, who was briefed on the situation told me. |
| 11 | "Roger was not happy. Most of the Fox viewers were taking Trump's side." |
| 12 | Things got worse for Ailes over the weekend. |
| 13 | In a phone conversation, Trump told Sean Hannity that "he was never doing Fox again," according to one person with knowledge of the call. |
| 14 | The anti-Kelly emails, and threat of a boycott by Trump, seem to have pushed Ailes to diffuse the war. |
| 15 | One Fox personality told me that Fox producers gave instructions to tell in-house talent not to bring up Trump's controversial comments that Kelly had "blood coming out of her wherever" during the debate. |
| 16 | According to one count, Fox only aired Trump's comment once since Friday, while CNN mentioned it at least 50 times. |
| 17 | In recent days, Ailes got a glimpse of what a Trump-less Fox News would look like. |
| 18 | On Sunday, Trump called in to the four other public-affairs shows; this morning he gave interviews to Today and Morning Joe. |
| 19 | Inside Fox, this was alarming. |
| 20 | "This thing with Megyn got way ahead of Roger and bigger than he must have thought," one Fox personality said. |
| 21 | "Roger wants this to blow over," another source added. |
| 22 | "He's upset that conservatives are mad at Fox." |
| 23 | Online, Ailes also took flak. |
| 24 | Both the Drudge Report and Breitbart News carried pro-Trump headlines. |
| 25 | Whatever Ailes said to Trump in their phone call earlier, it seems to have worked. |
| 26 | Trump has agreed to interviews on Fox & Friends and Hannity tomorrow. |
| 27 | Irena Briganti, a Fox spokesperson, did not return a call for comment. |
| 28 | The Trump campaign declined to comment. |