Trump wants NBC, ABC licenses revoked after $16M CBS settlement: 'Political pawns for the Democrat party'
WASHINGTON, DC: It looks like Donald Trump has NBC and ABC in his crosshairs.
In a pair of Truth Social posts on Saturday, July 26, the president blasted the two networks as “political pawns for the Democratic Party” and suggested they should have their licenses revoked.
“Wow, ‘Concast’s’ NBC is down in viewership almost 28% this year. Their programming is terrible, their management even worse,” he wrote in the first post, taking a jab at NBC’s parent company, Comcast. “They are an arm of the Democrat Party, and should be held accountable for that. Likewise, Fake News ABC!!!"
Trump’s posts came shortly after he ranted about Oprah Winfrey and Beyonce’s appearances at Kamala Harris’ campaign events, suggesting the stars had been paid to show up and throw their weight behind the former VP.
Donald Trump accuses ABC and NBC of acting as 'political pawns'
“Networks aren’t allowed to be political pawns for the Democrat Party. It has become so outrageous that, in my opinion, their licenses could, and should, be revoked!” Donald Trump fumed.
Recent ratings reported by Forbes show ABC in second place behind Fox News, with CBS and NBC trailing in third and fourth. But for Trump, it’s not just about the numbers.
He has a long memory, and ABC and NBC have been on his naughty list for years. Even CBS didn’t escape his wrath, shelling out big bucks to settle a lawsuit with him.
Paramount, CBS’s parent company, recently agreed to pay Trump $16 million to settle a $20 billion lawsuit over a deceptively edited '60 Minutes' interview with Kamala Harris.
“This is another in a long line of VICTORIES over the Fake News Media, who we are holding to account for their widespread fraud and deceit,” Trump wrote, celebrating the settlement.
He added, “The Wall Street Journal, The Failing New York Times, The Washington Post, MSDNC, CNN, and all other Mainstream Media Liars, are ON NOTICE that the days of them being allowed to deceive the American People are OVER."
From NBC threats to a $10B lawsuit against WSJ, Donald Trump’s long battle with the press continues
The commander-in-chief is also going after The Wall Street Journal. Donald Trump recently filed a $10 billion lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch’s prized paper over a story involving a letter he allegedly wrote to Jeffrey Epstein for a 50th birthday book.
Not surprisingly, Fox News has been spared Trump’s wrath. In fact, he recently sat down for a friendly 30-minute chat on 'My View with Lara Trump,' hosted by his daughter-in-law.
It’s worth noting that Trump was once NBC’s cash cow thanks to 'The Apprentice.' However, his feud with the network runs deep. Back in 2017, he was already threatening to take action.
“With all of the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what point is it appropriate to challenge their License?” he posted on Twitter at the time. “Bad for country!”
He later added, “Network news has become so partisan, distorted, and fake that licenses must be challenged and, if appropriate, revoked. Not fair to public!”
With all of the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what point is it appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 11, 2017
Network news has become so partisan, distorted and fake that licenses must be challenged and, if appropriate, revoked. Not fair to public!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 12, 2017
Donald Trump calls CBS 'fraudulent,' urges selling off network licenses to the highest bidder
The Federal Communications Commission has weighed in on this before. Back in 2017, then-FCC Chairman Ajit Pai made it clear that Donald Trump’s license-revoking fantasy wasn’t exactly legal.
“Under the law, the FCC does not have the authority to revoke a license of a broadcast station based on the content of a particular newscast,” Pai said at the time, per The Washington Post.
Still, Trump kept hammering the point. Last October, he took a flamethrower to the media as he called out CBS by name. “60 Minutes is a major part of the News Organization of CBS, which has just created the Greatest Fraud in Broadcast History,” he declared on Truth Social after Harris’s controversial interview aired.
Trump even suggested auctioning off the network’s licenses. “CBS should lose its license, and it should be bid out to the Highest Bidder, as should other Broadcast Licenses, because they are just as corrupt as CBS, and maybe even WORSE!” he said at the time.
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