Trump Calls for ABC and NBC Licenses to Be Revoked After Election Speech Decision
President Donald Trump called for ABC and NBC to lose broadcast licenses after the networks declined to air his Thursday prime-time election speech on their main broadcast channels, escalating a fight over media coverage into a federal power dispute.
ABC and NBC did not carry the address live on linear television, but both provided coverage through streaming platforms. Fox aired the speech live, while CBS carried portions of it during a special report, according to AP.
Trump accused networks that skipped the live broadcast of participating in a plot and said the decision should mean license revocation. AP reported that the speech included longstanding claims about U.S. elections, while networks weighed how to cover the remarks without handing over live airtime to claims that required fact-checking.
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The legal consequence is significant. Broadcast licenses are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, but FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez said Friday that refusing to air a political speech is an editorial decision protected by the First Amendment. Gomez called Trump’s demand an attempt to bully broadcasters and said the FCC has no authority to punish stations for that decision.
The dispute also generated visible online reaction. Axios reported that the White House rapid-response X account criticized CNN for not carrying the speech live, while Reddit threads about Trump’s license threat drew thousands of upvotes across political and technology forums.
Axios placed the remarks within a broader administration pressure campaign on broadcasters, noting ongoing FCC scrutiny under Chairman Brendan Carr.
The next question is whether the threat remains political messaging or becomes part of a formal regulatory action that broadcasters could challenge in court.
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