Trump’s License Threat Against ABC and NBC

When a sitting president demands that TV networks lose their licenses for not airing his speech, it exposes just how fragile America’s guardrails on power and free speech have become.

Story Snapshot

President Trump blasted ABC and NBC for refusing to air his primetime election-security speech live and said their broadcast licenses should be revoked.
The clash continues Trump’s long-running campaign against major networks he calls “fake news” that give him “97% BAD STORIES.”
ABC and NBC say they made a programming and news judgment, not a partisan move, echoing past decisions to skip or cut away from Trump speeches.
Media-law experts stress that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) cannot pull licenses over critical coverage, and that such threats run into the First Amendment.

Trump’s latest fight with ABC and NBC over a primetime speech

On Thursday night, President Donald Trump delivered a primetime address focused on what he calls “election security,” four months before critical midterm elections. Two of the largest broadcast networks, ABC and NBC, chose not to air the speech live on their main channels, keeping regular shows instead. During the speech itself, Trump singled out the networks by name, accusing them of hiding supposed election fraud and telling the crowd that “fraud like this should mean a revocation of their licenses.”

Trump argued that ABC and NBC knew the address would lay out claims of wrongdoing around voting systems and chose not to carry it because they “don’t like the topic” and want to “protect the radical left.” He framed their decision as part of a broader plot within the media to cover up fraud and deny him and his allies a fair hearing. For many viewers, the clash did not feel new. In past years, networks have also declined to carry some Trump speeches live or have cut away when he repeated false claims about elections.

A long pattern of threats to revoke broadcast licenses

Trump’s remarks Thursday fit a clear pattern: for years, he has threatened ABC, NBC, and other networks with loss of their broadcast licenses whenever he dislikes their coverage. In late-night posts and interviews, he has called ABC and NBC “two of the worst and most biased networks in history” and claimed they run “97% BAD STORIES” about him, acting as “an arm of the Democrat Party.” He has repeatedly said he would be “totally in favor” of the Federal Communications Commission revoking their licenses or making them “pay BIG” for using public airwaves.

On several occasions, Trump has tied license threats directly to specific reporting he finds hostile. After an ABC reporter asked him about releasing files tied to Jeffrey Epstein, Trump said ABC should “lose its license” because its news was “extremely misleading and inaccurate.” At other times he has complained that networks give him “only bad publicity or press” and said “maybe their license should be taken away,” pointing to FCC chair Brendan Carr as the official who could make it happen. These comments resonate with supporters who feel mainstream media has long mocked their values and covered conservative figures unfairly.

What the law actually allows — and why experts are alarmed

Despite Trump’s repeated demands, media-law experts say the system does not give presidents power to yank licenses over news content. Broadcast licenses are held by local stations, not national news divisions, and they are renewed through a legal process focused on technical rules and serving the public interest, not punishing “bad publicity.” A former Federal Communications Commission official has stated plainly that the agency “does not have the authority to revoke a license … based on a particular newscast,” pointing to First Amendment protections.

FICTIONAL CEASE AND DESIST NOTICE

Regarding the Planned National Television Address of President Donald J. Trump

July 16, 2026

Via Open Letter

To the Chief Executive Officers, Presidents, General Counsel, News Directors, Executive Producers, Standards & Practices Departments,… pic.twitter.com/h2wNdJXvCb

— Mitch Jackson, Esq. (@mitchjackson) July 16, 2026

Advocacy groups and free-speech lawyers warn that even empty threats can chill coverage. When the president says “crooked journalism should not be rewarded, it should be terminated,” and ties that to license loss, it sounds to many like the government using its power to bully critics. That worries both conservatives and liberals who already believe a small group of media companies and political insiders make the rules while ordinary people are shut out. For some on the right, the episode feels like proof that “fake news” outlets can ignore a president’s major speech with no penalty. For some on the left, Trump’s rhetoric looks like one more step toward punishing dissent.

Networks’ programming choices and the deeper trust problem

ABC and NBC say these decisions are rooted in news judgment and business, not party loyalty. Networks have long had the option not to air presidential remarks live when they are not official State of the Union speeches or major emergencies. In 2022, the same three broadcast networks skipped Trump’s campaign announcement and stuck with scheduled programs. Editors and producers argue that when a speech is expected to repeat false claims about past elections, airing it live without real-time fact-checking can mislead viewers.

Still, plenty of Americans see a double standard. Many remember years when networks gave wall-to-wall coverage to wars, scandals, and even presidential tweets, yet now pass on a speech labeled “election security.” They feel that big media companies, tech platforms, and Washington insiders all help decide which stories matter and which do not. The result is a familiar frustration on both sides: conservatives think elites silence their voices, liberals think elites spread propaganda, and both increasingly agree that the system itself is rigged and unresponsive.

Why this clash matters beyond one speech

This latest fight is not just about one primetime address. It shows a president openly pressuring independent news outlets with the threat of government punishment if they do not carry his message the way he wants. It also shows major networks willing to risk backlash to keep control of their own programming decisions. There is a real fear among watchdogs that normalizing this kind of pressure — especially with an aligned Congress and a friendly FCC chair — could weaken the line between political power and the press over time.

At the same time, nothing in this episode fixes the deeper problem: millions of Americans no longer trust either the government or the media to tell them the truth. Some cheer Trump for “punching back” at networks they already dislike. Others see his words as an attack on basic freedoms. But many in the middle mainly see two powerful institutions fighting while everyday problems — wages, prices, borders, wars abroad — grind on. That shared frustration is why these licensing threats feel bigger than one speech. They tap into a growing belief that the system is about control, not accountability, no matter who is in charge.