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By Shane Croucher
Senior Editor
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President Donald Trump has threatened to terminate the broadcast licenses of major networks that cover him and his political allies unfavorably.
"If Network NEWSCASTS, and their Late Night Shows, are almost 100% Negative to President Donald J. Trump, MAGA, and the Republican Party, shouldn't their very valuable Broadcast Licenses be terminated? I say, YES!" Trump wrote on Truth Social early on Wednesday.
The president has frequently clashed with late-night hosts and journalists from major media networks, accusing them of bias against him and threatening to take punitive action in response.
Read More on Politics
Why It Matters
Trump launched legal actions against a number of major media outlets this year. Earlier this month, he filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC over its editing of one of his speeches for a 2021 Panorama documentary. The president also refiled a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times and three of its reporters in October.
Civicus, a nonprofit that monitors civic space in 198 countries, recently downgraded the U.S.'s civic freedom rating from "narrowed" to "obstructed," citing in part growing political pressure on the media . The president's latest comment raises further concerns about press freedom in the United States.
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What To Know
Trump previously suggested that some TV networks should have their licenses "taken away" after ABC suspended the late-show host Jimmy Kimmel over comments he made about the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Kimmel said Trump supporters had tried to "characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them."
Trump said on Air Force One in September: "I read someplace that the networks were 97 percent against me. I get 97 percent negative, and yet I won it easily. I won all seven swing states, popular vote. I won everything. And they're 97 percent against. They give me only bad publicity.
"I mean, they're getting a license. I would think maybe their license should be taken away. It would be up to Brendan Carr."
Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, said at the time: "We're going to continue to hold these broadcasters accountable to the public interest, and if broadcasters don't like that simple solution, they can turn their license in to the FCC."
In a separate post on Wednesday, Trump attacked late-night host Stephen Colbert, describing him as a "pathetic trainwreck, with no talent or anything else necessary for show business success."
"Now, after being terminated by CBS, but left out to dry, he has actually gotten worse, along with his nonexistent ratings," he wrote on Truth Social. "Stephen is running on hatred and fumes—A dead man walking! CBS should, 'put him to sleep,' NOW, it is the humanitarian thing to do!"
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday: "Who has the worst Late Night host, CBS, ABC, or NBC??? They all have three things in common: High Salaries, No Talent, REALLY LOW RATINGS!"
He wrote in a previous post: "The Failing New York Times, and their lies and purposeful misrepresentations, is a serious threat to the National Security of our Nation. Their Radical Left, Unhinged Behavior, writing FAKE Articles and Opinions in a never ending way, must be dealt with and stopped. THEY ARE A TRUE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE!"
What Happens Next
The FCC cannot directly cancel broadcasting licenses for major networks, including ABC, NBC or CBS. However, it can revoke or deny renewals of licenses for local stations that are affiliates of the major broadcasters.
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