Trump Critiques ABC and NBC, Calls for License Revocation

Recently, President Donald Trump has expressed strong criticism towards ABC and NBC, pointing out what he perceives as their significant left-leaning bias. He suggested that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should take action to revoke their broadcasting licenses.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump labeled the two major networks as “biased and untruthful,” asserting that they are not paying a fair price for their licenses.

“Why is it that ABC and NBC FAKE NEWS, two of the absolute worst and most biased networks anywhere in the World, aren’t paying Millions of Dollars a year in LICENSE FEES? They should lose their Licenses for their unfair coverage of Republicans and/or Conservatives, but at a minimum, they should pay up BIG for having the privilege of using the most valuable airwaves anywhere at anytime!!! Crooked ‘journalism’ should not be rewarded, it should be terminated!!!”

During the post, Trump emphasized that even with his administration’s achievements in the first eight months, he feels the networks overwhelmingly report negatively on him. He described them as essentially being “AN ARM OF THE DEMOCRAT PARTY.”

“Despite a very high popularity and, according to many, among the greatest 8 months in Presidential History, ABC & NBC FAKE NEWS, two of the worst and most biased networks in history, give me 97% BAD STORIES. IF THAT IS THE CASE, THEY ARE SIMPLY AN ARM OF THE DEMOCRAT PARTY AND SHOULD, ACCORDING TO MANY, HAVE THEIR LICENSES REVOKED BY THE FCC. I would be totally in favor of that because they are so biased and untruthful, an actual threat to our Democracy!!!”

This isn’t the first time Trump has clashed with mainstream media, often accusing them of bias and unfair reporting since his return to office.

While ABC and NBC News do not directly have FCC licenses for their primary news content, their local affiliates across the country do require licensing to broadcast.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr previously remarked, “Broadcasters have a very unique position in the market when it comes to other entities. They are licensed by the FCC. When you license someone to operate, you’re necessarily prohibiting others from using those airwaves. Because of that, they have a public-interest obligation. And I think over the years, the FCC has largely stepped back from enforcing the public interest standard.”

“I don’t think that’s correct. I think, given the unique benefits that come from a federal broadcast license, it’s important for the FCC to actually hold these entities accountable to the public interest,” he continued. “News distortion is a piece of it, and I believe that the FCC should be vigorously enforcing the public interest.”

However, any attempts to revoke licenses over perceived political bias may face legal hurdles, as courts have struck down similar efforts in the past, citing First Amendment protections.

In related news, ABC News has agreed to settle a defamation lawsuit from Trump, reportedly paying $15 million towards his presidential library. This lawsuit stemmed from claims made by ABC contributor George Stephanopoulos, who wrongfully asserted that Trump was “found liable for rape” and “defaming the victim,” when in fact no such verdict was reached under New York law.

Following the settlement, ABC News apologized, and Stephanopoulos agreed to help cover Trump’s legal fees to the tune of $1 million.