Trump: "NBC and ABC Are the Worst Ever... Their Licenses Should Be Revoked"

Trump Claims "NBC and ABC Are Biased...
A Threat to Democracy"

President Donald Trump of the United States stated on August 24 (local time) that he would support the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in revoking the licenses of NBC and ABC, describing them as "the worst and most biased broadcasters in history."

On this day, President Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, saying, "Despite my immense popularity and, according to many, the first eight months of my presidency being among the greatest in presidential history, ABC and NBC, the worst and most biased broadcasters ever, are reporting negatively on me 97% of the time with their fake news." He asserted this claim in his post.

Donald Trump, President of the United States. Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News

He continued, "If that's the case, then they are simply operatives of the Democratic Party, and as many have said, the FCC should revoke their licenses," adding, "I am fully in favor. They are so biased and false, and they pose a real threat to democracy!!!"

The FCC issues licenses to broadcast station owners, and these licenses must be periodically renewed.

In another post, President Trump questioned, "Why do ABC and NBC, the two worst and most biased broadcasters in the world, not pay millions of dollars in license fees every year?" He argued, "They should have their licenses revoked for unfair coverage of the Republican Party or the conservative side, but at the very least, they should pay a substantial amount in exchange for the privilege of using the most valuable airwaves anytime and anywhere."

In a separate post, he wrote, "Except for what the fake news reports, I am currently enjoying the highest approval ratings ever," adding, "Some are in the 60% range, and even the 70% range."

Regarding this, Bloomberg News reported that a poll conducted by The Economist and YouGov from August 15 to 18, surveying 1,568 Americans, found that 56% rated President Trump's job performance as strongly or somewhat negative, while only 40% rated it as strongly or somewhat positive.

Since taking office, President Trump has been engaged in legal battles with major media outlets. He filed a lawsuit against CBS News for $16 million and reached a $15 million settlement with ABC over defamation claims. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr has launched an investigation into Comcast's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and NBC's relationships with its local affiliates. NBC is owned by NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast.

During his first term, President Trump also threatened to revoke NBC's FCC license after the network reported that he had called for a significant increase in the United States' nuclear arsenal, a claim he denied.