Trump Calls For Revocation Of Abc, Nbc Licenses Over Speech Snub

President Donald Trump said TV networks that did not feature live coverage of his primetime address on election security should have their broadcast licenses revoked.

CNN, ABC and NBC opted against live coverage of the speech in which Trump claimed China illegally accessed millions of voter files as part of a broader effort to manipulate U.S. elections in 2018 and 2020.

Other outlets, including CBS, MS NOW and Fox News, chose to broadcast the speech at least in part. NBC and ABC aired Trump’s remarks on their streaming channels.

Trump called out NBC and ABC during his remarks, accusing the networks of covering up what he labeled election fraud.

“In a rare move, NBC and ABC fake news have both said that they would not cover this speech. They knew what it was about,” he said. “Fraud like this should mean a revocation of their licenses.”

TV networks are not required to air presidential remarks in primetime. Past presidents have traditionally reserved such major addresses for national crises or critical moments. Outlets have traditionally provided live coverage, but there have been exceptions.

Multiple networks declined in 2022 to broadcast President Joe Biden’s address on threats to democracy. ABC, CBS and NBC did not air President Barack Obama’s 2014 primetime speech on immigration.

Trump has previously floated revoking the broadcast licenses of TV networks whose news coverage he views as unfavorable. He suggested ABC should lose its license after late night host Jimmy Kimmel was suspended in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s death. And in a social media post in December, he argued that networks that are “almost 100% negative” in their coverage should have their broadcast licenses “terminated.”

But Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr is limited in his authority to unilaterally revoke the licenses of the broadcast networks, which are protected both by the Communications Act’s restrictions on how the FCC reviews licenses and by the First Amendment.

The FCC did not immediately respond to a request to comment on Trump's remarks.