Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez declared on Thursday that President Trump’s threat to revoke ABC broadcast licenses over a reporter’s question to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman would violate the First Amendment and “fail in court,” calling any such FCC action unconstitutional and unprecedented.
Reuters reports Gomez’s rebuke came after Trump demanded on social media that the FCC strip licenses from Disney-owned ABC stations, labeling a November 18 interview question about Jamal Khashoggi’s 2018 murder as “fake news” and “insubordinate.”
Trump calls for ABC's broadcasting licenses to be revoked https://t.co/8ouKM2xYKE pic.twitter.com/zpapagBujH
— Alma Angeles (@AlmaANET25) November 19, 2025
The FCC, now led by Trump appointee Brendan Carr, has not announced formal action against ABC but has escalated pressure on broadcasters: it recently reopened bias complaints against ABC’s presidential debate and CBS’s “60 Minutes,” temporarily suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” broadcasts, and launched a sweeping review of network-affiliate contracts that critics say is designed to intimidate local stations.
Gomez, one of two Democratic commissioners, stressed that broadcast licenses are granted to individual stations—not networks—and cannot legally be revoked over editorial content. Courts have consistently blocked similar attempts, and even Trump’s first-term FCC chair, Ajit Pai, rejected identical demands in 2017.
While direct license revocations remain unlikely and would almost certainly be overturned, media watchdogs warn the growing pattern of investigations and threats is already chilling speech, especially for broadcasters with pending mergers or license renewals.