Power Grab/Fire anyone who can stop him
Trump says ABC and NBC should lose their broadcast licenses after they decline to carry his election-integrity address
Networks hold no broadcast licenses; their stations do. The FCC under chairman Brendan Carr had already opened inquiries into broadcasters, including ABC.
What happened
On July 16, 2026, in a primetime East Room address on election security, Trump said: “In a rare move, NBC and ABC fake news have both said that they would not cover this speech.” ABC, NBC and CNN had declined to carry it live on their main channels. Fox aired the speech in full and CBS carried portions. ABC and NBC streamed it.
Trump said: “They knew what it was about… Fraud like this should mean a revocation of their licenses.” He added that the networks “use our public, multi-billion dollar in value, airways for absolutely no money.” The White House rapid-response account separately attacked CNN.
The FCC under chairman Brendan Carr had already opened inquiries into broadcasters’ public-interest compliance. One was a probe of ABC’s The View. CBS’s parent, Paramount Skydance, was seeking approval for its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. Networks had been cautious about airing unverified 2020 election claims since Fox’s $787 million defamation settlement.
Who benefited
Trump used a national address to put the two networks that declined to carry it on notice. The FCC chairman’s pending probes gained presidential backing. Fox and CBS, which carried the speech, were implicitly rewarded, and Paramount Skydance needed federal approval for its merger.
Who wanted something
Trump made the demand himself, in the speech. Carr’s FCC had been building pressure through investigations and public statements that broadcasters’ news judgments violated their public-interest obligations. The White House communications operation amplified the attack on CNN the same night.
Who lost out
ABC, NBC and their owned stations and affiliates had licenses, worth billions and essential to their businesses, publicly tied to their editorial decisions. Viewers lost as networks weigh whether carrying or declining to carry presidential claims will cost them their licenses.
Why it matters
Threatening to revoke broadcast licenses because a network declined to air a presidential speech is a use of state power against editorial independence. The FCC chairman was already investigating the same companies, so the threat carries a mechanism. The networks made different choices that night.
Sources GovInfo (Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents) (primary)ReutersAssociated PressAxios