President Donald Trump on Sunday threatened a prominent NBC broadcast journalist with possible punishment by US media regulators as the Republican expressed disappointment with coverage of his candidate endorsements ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Trump took to his Truth Social platform to attack Kristen Welker as the “unpopular ‘hostess’ of the once great Meet the Press” talk show for stating that the president had “mixed results” on his endorsement of political candidates in party primaries, insisting the results went his way 98 percent to 100 percent of the time.
“Because of this purposeful inaccuracy, she will be reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment,” he said, referring to the Federal Communications Commission, which assigns and oversees licenses for radio and television broadcast frequencies.
“Unfortunately, she is not the only one. The Radical Left News is going out of their way to harass, demean, and libel anything ‘TRUMP.'”
The Republican billionaire used American media to his advantage over the years as a provocative real estate developer in New York. But as president he dramatically turned against the press and what he called “fake news.”
He has sued several newspapers including the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, and ordered federal funding slashed for public media.
His administration, from the Pentagon to the FBI, has ramped up restrictions and attempts to intimidate journalists, and the FCC — headed by a close Trump associate — has pressured broadcasters to toe the line.
“I hope that Chairman Brendan Carr, and the fine people of his Commission, will take this Threat to our Country very seriously,” Trump said.
The latest attack is part of the Trump administration’s months-long offensive against media outlets it deems overly critical.
Such efforts are facing growing resistance from news organizations and major broadcast networks. Several of them have filed lawsuits against the FCC, arguing such pressure constitutes political retaliation that violates the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which protects freedom of speech.
Relations between Trump and Welker have been under pressure for months. In June the president abruptly cut short an interview with her following a tense exchange, during which he grew irritated by Welker’s questioning, particularly on the war against Iran.
NBC News did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Experts argue the FCC lacks the legal authority to punish broadcasters or reporters for their viewpoints.
According to a 2025 paper by the Yale Journal on Regulation, the US Supreme Court has confirmed that US law “does not grant the FCC the power to ban controversial speech.”
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
