Trump Once Again Demands License Ban for ABC and NBC – Now With Support From the FCC

A Clash With the Media in a New Form

Donald Trump has once again launched a frontal attack on the national TV networks. On social media, he described ABC and NBC as “two of the worst and most biased networks in history,” claiming that as much as 97 percent of all news stories about him were “BAD STORIES.” Without providing documentation, he suggested that both networks should either lose their licenses—or “pay big” for using the public airwaves.

Brendan Carr Echoes Trump’s Approach

What’s striking is that Brendan Carr, the new chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), has now brought Trump’s culture war into his office. Carr has initiated investigations into the networks’ parent companies, Disney and Comcast, focusing on their investments in diversity and inclusion. At the same time, he has launched a series of cases targeting the largest news networks—all except Fox, which is owned by Trump’s political ally Rupert Murdoch.

According to several experts, Carr has undergone a remarkable transformation—from a traditionally market-oriented regulator to what one former colleague referred to as “an instrument of power.”

Multi-Million Settlements and Pressure on Mergers

Trump has already secured two striking settlements for $16 million each from the owners of ABC and CBS. According to legal experts, these were cases he was unlikely to win in court. Nevertheless, they set a precedent that has left the networks under intense pressure.

Meanwhile, under Carr’s leadership, the FCC has significantly delayed major media mergers. CBS’s deal with Skydance Media, for example, was only approved once the company assured the FCC of a “commitment to unbiased journalism and a diversity of perspectives.”

A New Front in Trump’s Culture War

The attack on ABC and NBC is part of a broader trend in which both politics and the business world are pulling back from diversity programs and equality initiatives. For Trump and his allies, however, it’s not just about business—it’s about ensuring political control over the media’s agenda.

The question is how long the American press can withstand this pressure. As one media analyst put it: “The pressure is the point—to bind newsrooms in an unbearable dilemma between journalism and survival.”

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