After receiving payoffs from multiple media companies, President Donald Trump on Sunday complained about “biased” television networks, whining that they should lose their licenses to broadcast because they are mean to Republicans.
“Why is it that ABC and NBC FAKE NEWS, two of the absolute worst and most biased networks anywhere in the World, aren’t paying Millions of Dollars a year in LICENSE FEES?” Trump asked on his social media account. He then added that the networks should “lose their Licenses for their unfair coverage of Republicans and/or Conservative.”
He concluded, “Crooked ‘journalism’ should not be rewarded, it should be terminated.”
The First Amendment to the Constitution, which Trump swore an oath on Jan. 20 to defend, makes clear that the government should play no role in controlling the content of a free press and guarantees protection from government control over that press.
In addition to the threat against free speech, Trump’s post shows complete ignorance of how broadcast licenses operate in America.
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Local television and radio stations are given licenses to broadcast over the public airwaves by the Federal Communications Commission. These fees aren’t usually paid by the major networks like ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox, who do not own most local stations. Most of those stations are owned by station conglomerates who then have a network affiliation deal that allows them to broadcast programming from the network. Companies like Nexstar, Gray, and the pro-Trump Sinclair pay out most of the fees, as do stations owned and operated by the networks he complained about.
Trump should be aware of this process, since for years he was the host of NBC’s “The Apprentice”—which was one of the programs local affiliates were given access to.
The demand from Trump is another manifestation of the ever-increasing demand from Republicans and conservatives that news coverage—and even fictional entertainment programming—must reflect their views to the exclusion of everyone else.
His statement also highlights that caving to Trump hasn’t satiated his appetite for obedience. Since he won the 2024 election, the press has been paying Trump off—and he just keeps demanding more.
ABC owner Disney paid out a settlement to Trump over a news story, even though legal experts said his lawsuit was dubious. CBS’ parent company Paramount gave a massive payout to Trump and soon after received FCC approval for its merger with Skydance. Congressional Democrats are currently investigating the high likelihood of bribery in that case.
Major outlets in the mainstream press have continued to carry water for the administration, including The Washington Post, which is owned by the pro-Trump Jeff Bezos, alongside the Los Angeles Times and of course Fox News. The Trump administration and congressional Republicans have also mounted legislative attacks on PBS and NPR after those outlets reported critically and factually on the right.
But Trump and his team won’t be satisfied until every last media outlet is under their thumb.