Donald Trump reportedly met with Fox News president Roger Ailes before announcing his presidential candidacy.

According to New York magazine's Gabriel Sherman, “multiple sources” told him that before Trump announced his candidacy, he had a "'2-3 hour' private lunch with Ailes."

For years, Trump has been a fixture on Fox News, and had a regular segment commenting on the news on Fox & Friends. Since he became a presidential candidate, his exposure on the network has only increased. In Media Matters' most recent study of appearances by likely and declared Republican presidential candidates on the network, Trump topped the entire field. During the month of June, Trump appeared on Fox 10 times, racking up 1 hour and 48 minutes of airtime, 23 minutes more than his nearest competitor, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Since the beginning of May, Trump also has the most airtime of any of the candidates.

After Trump made remarks calling Mexican immigrants criminals and “rapists,” several Fox figures jumped to his defense.

As part of the “Fox Primary,” Republican candidates have been vying for a spot at the debate hosted by the network, while they have reportedly timed campaign announcements to coincide with the network's coverage. CNN's Brian Stelter has noted, “there really is no disputing Fox's power in influencing the GOP.”

Trump isn't the first 2016 candidate to meet with Ailes. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) reportedly met with Ailes and Rupert Murdoch in 2013 as part of an effort to “smooth concerns among Republicans and influencers about whether he shares his famous libertarian father's views on issues like national security.”