Trump Threatens to Scrap NBC, ABC Licenses Over "Nasty" News Coverage

US President Donald Trump berated NBC and ABC as “two of the worst and most biased networks in history,” adding he would support the FCC in revoking licenses for their television stations, Swati Pandey reported for Bloomberg News.

Trump previously targeted NBC during his first term. (Photo: JeremyA Wikimedia Commons)

The networks “give me 97% BAD STORIES,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, “despite a very high popularity and, according to many, among the greatest 8 months in Presidential History.”

His remarks come after a series of legal battles with major outlets. He settled a lawsuit against CBS News in July for $16 million before the FCC approved a merger between CBS parent Paramount Global and Skydance Media.

Trump also reached a $15 million settlement with ABC over defamation claims.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, a Republican, has meanwhile opened investigations into Comcast’s diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and NBC’s ties to its local affiliates, Ted Johnson reported for Deadline.

NBC is owned by NBCUniversal, a Comcast subsidiary, while ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company.

Trump previously targeted NBC during his first term. In 2017, he questioned whether its station licenses should be revoked after a report claimed he sought to expand the US nuclear arsenal, something he denied.

A recent Economist/YouGov poll found 56% of respondents strongly or somewhat disapprove of Trump’s handling of his presidency, while 40% approve. The August 15–18 poll surveyed 1,568 Americans with a margin of error of about 3.5%, Cameron Adams reported for The Daily Beast.