Trump Targets ABC, NBC Licenses After THIS Happened

President Trump demanded the federal government pull the broadcast licenses of ABC and NBC after both networks refused to air his primetime speech on election security live in July 2026.

Story Snapshot

ABC and NBC declined to carry Trump’s primetime election security address live, prompting Trump to call for license revocation on Truth Social.
Trump claimed 97% of coverage from both networks was negative and called them “an arm of the Democratic Party.”
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr has already opened formal reviews of nearly every major broadcast network.
Legal experts say the FCC has no authority to pull a license based on news content, and no president has ever successfully done it.

What Trump Said and Why He Said It

Late on a Sunday night in August 2025, Trump posted a series of attacks on Truth Social targeting ABC and NBC. He called them “two of the worst and most biased networks in history” and claimed, without evidence, that 97% of their coverage about him was negative. He followed that up by saying he supported revoking their broadcast licenses. It was not a one-time outburst. Trump has made this threat repeatedly, across both of his terms in office.

The most recent flash point came in July 2026, when Trump planned a primetime address focused on election security. ABC, NBC, and CNN all declined to air it live on their main channels. Trump responded by calling their refusal “election interference” and renewed his push for the FCC to act. He has also threatened ABC separately after a reporter asked him about Jeffrey Epstein files during an Oval Office meeting, telling her, “I think the license should be taken away from ABC because your news is so fake.”

The FCC’s Role and What It Is Actually Doing

FCC Chair Brendan Carr has backed Trump’s pressure campaign in a real and measurable way. Carr opened formal reviews of ABC, CBS, NBC, NPR, and PBS. He also launched separate investigations into the diversity and inclusion programs run by ABC’s parent company Disney and NBC’s parent company Comcast. In September 2025, Carr told reporters that broadcasters should expect consequences if their coverage crossed certain lines. Critics called it textbook viewpoint discrimination using regulatory power.

Carr’s FCC also began challenging ABC’s individual station licenses after Trump pressured the network to fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. Disney, which owns ABC, is expected to fight any license action in court. Comcast, which owns NBC, has similar legal firepower. Neither company has shown any sign of backing down.

Why the Threats Have Not Worked — and Likely Cannot

Here is the core legal problem for Trump: the FCC does not have the authority to revoke a broadcast license based on a specific newscast or editorial slant. That is not a gray area. It is settled communications law, backed by the First Amendment. License revocations are reserved for technical violations, fraud, or criminal conduct — not news coverage a president dislikes. No American president has ever successfully pulled a network’s license over content.

That said, the threat is not entirely toothless. License renewals require FCC approval, and a prolonged review process can cost a broadcaster time and money. The pressure alone can have a chilling effect, which may be the real goal. Networks that fear regulatory retaliation might soften coverage at the margins — not because they were ordered to, but because the risk feels real enough to manage. That dynamic is worth watching closely, even if no license ever actually gets pulled.

Networks Have Skipped Presidential Speeches Before

ABC, NBC, and CBS skipped Trump’s 2022 campaign announcement speech without any license threats following. All three networks cut away from his November 2020 election night remarks after he began making unsupported claims about the vote being stolen. Networks regularly weigh whether a presidential address serves the public interest or functions as political messaging. Declining to air a speech live is an editorial call, not a crime. The idea that skipping a speech constitutes “election interference” does not hold up to any serious legal or journalistic standard.

The Bigger Pattern Worth Paying Attention To

Trump’s license threats fit a documented pattern that stretches back to his first term. He has targeted ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, NPR, and PBS at various points. FCC Chair Carr extended the pressure campaign even further in March 2026, warning broadcasters that negative coverage of the U.S. conflict with Iran could put their licenses at risk. The consistent thread is using regulatory fear as a substitute for legal authority. Trump cannot shut down a network by executive order. But he can make owning one feel expensive and uncertain. That is a meaningful form of pressure, even when the underlying threat cannot be legally carried out.