Trump Threatens Broadcast Licenses Over Negative Coverage

President Donald Trump has hinted at the possibility of revoking licenses of certain network broadcast stations, asserting that their portrayal of him and the Republican Party has been “nearly 100% negative.” This remark came in a post on Truth Social this week.

“If a network’s newscast and its late-night programming are almost entirely negative towards President Donald J. Trump, MAGA, and the Republican Party, shouldn’t their valuable broadcast license be suspended? I say YES!” he stated in his post.

While he didn’t directly reference it, his comments seem related to a recent study from the Media Research Center, which claims that almost 99 percent of guests on late-night shows are liberal or left-leaning.

The study highlights that there were 31 Democrats featured compared to zero Republicans. Colbert had 17 episodes with political content, while Kimmel came in second with 7. Interestingly, Fallon interviewed no politicians at all during the study timeframe, despite ranking third overall with six guests, and Meyers placed fourth with just one.

Earlier in the year, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who was appointed by Trump, noted that the ABC network could face losing its broadcast license after late-night host Jimmy Kimmel implied that conservative activist Charlie Kirk was killed by MAGA supporters.

“We can approach this easily or we can make it complicated. These companies can change their behavior and do something about Kimmel. If they don’t, expect further action from the FCC in the future,” he remarked in a podcast.

During a Congressional Hearing last week, Carr emphasized his intention to “enforce public interest standards” among broadcasters.

Trump has also expressed discontent with CBS after the network aired an interview with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former MAGA advocate who has criticized him. He mentioned that the Skydance-Paramount merger was “no better than the old ownership.”