Trump Calls NBC 'Pawn' Of Democratic Party

President Donald Trump posted over the weekend on Truth Social, criticizing NBC News for what he described as "terrible" programming and accusing the network of being a "pawn" of the Democratic Party. 

In his posts, he claimed NBC's management was biased and suggested that their broadcast licenses should be revoked due to their alleged political alignment. 

He specifically wrote, "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! MAGA."

His call to revoke NBC’s licenses echoes similar threats made during his first term and the 2024 campaign, where he suggested the FCC should strip licenses from networks like CBS over edited interviews or ABC over debate moderation. However, the FCC does not directly license national networks like NBC; it regulates individual broadcast stations, many of which are network affiliates.

Revoking licenses based on content is legally challenging due to First Amendment protections, as noted by former FCC Chairman Ajit Pai in 2017 and ex-Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in 2024, who both emphasized that the FCC cannot revoke licenses over editorial content or political disagreements.

The feasibility of Trump’s threat is limited. 

Current FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee and current chairman, has supported investigating media bias but acknowledged that revoking licenses is "essentially impossible" under current law due to high legal standards and First Amendment barriers. Despite this, Trump’s rhetoric and the FCC’s recent actions under Carr, such as reinstating complaints against NBC, CBS, and ABC for alleged bias, suggest an intent to pressure media through regulatory scrutiny, potentially creating a chilling effect on coverage.