Former US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to revoke television network broadcast licences over what he perceives as unfair coverage, making such declarations on at least 28 separate occasions throughout his political career.
The Pattern of Presidential Pressure
The most recent incident occurred during a bilateral meeting with Mohammed bin Salman on 18 November 2025, where Trump stated: "I think the licence should be taken away from ABC because your news is so fake and it's so wrong." This followed aggressive questioning from ABC News White House correspondent Mary Bruce about the Jamal Khashoggi murder and Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
Analysis by the Guardian reveals this pattern stretches back eight years, with Trump consistently targeting major networks including ABC, NBC, CBS, and CNN. However, legal experts note these threats carry little practical weight since the Federal Communications Commission doesn't actually licence national networks, only the local television stations they own or affiliate with.
Legal Reality Versus Political Rhetoric
Anna M Gomez, the lone Democrat on the FCC, clarified the commission's limitations after a recent meeting. "Aside from the ability to make things difficult for those we retaliate, this FCC is powerless to truly retaliate against a news network," she explained, noting that no local station licences are up for renewal "any time soon."
The threats began as early as 2017 with tweets targeting NBC and other networks, accusing them of "partisan, distorted and fake" reporting. The rhetoric intensified during election cycles, particularly around the 2024 presidential campaign where Trump focused extensively on CBS and its programme 60 Minutes.
Complete History of Broadcast Licence Threats
Trump's campaign against television networks has been remarkably consistent across different platforms and contexts:
2017: On 11 October, Trump tweeted twice about challenging network licences, specifically mentioning NBC's coverage.
2018: A 4 September tweet again questioned NBC's licence following the Harvey Weinstein story.
2020: During a Minnesota campaign rally on 18 September, Trump expanded his targets to include ABC, NBC, CBS, and CNN.
2024: This year saw an escalation with multiple threats across campaign rallies, interviews, and Truth Social posts. Key incidents included:
- 16 January: Campaign rally in New Hampshire targeting NBC and CNN
- 11 September: Fox & Friends interview focusing on ABC
- Multiple October Truth Social posts demanding CBS lose its licence
- Campaign rallies in Nevada, North Carolina, Michigan, and Wisconsin repeating the threat
2025: The pattern continued with Truth Social posts in February, April, and August, plus comments to reporters on Air Force One in September where Trump cited "97% negative" coverage as justification for licence revocation.
The consistency of these threats over nearly a decade demonstrates Trump's ongoing strategy of challenging media organisations he perceives as hostile, despite the legal impracticalities of actually revoking national network licences through FCC procedures.
