Former President Donald Trump criticized the ABC and NBC news networks, calling them “arms of the Democratic Party,” and urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to revoke their broadcasting licenses due to biased media coverage against him. Trump has long complained about media coverage and has taken regulatory and legal actions against what he calls “fake news.” His administration targeted public broadcasting and launched investigations into broadcasters, raising concerns about political retaliation. Earlier this summer, Paramount Global, CBS’s parent company, paid $16 million to settle a lawsuit filed by Trump over a “60 Minutes” interview with his rival, former Vice President Kamala Harris; ABC reached a similar settlement in December. Trump claimed on his platform Truth Social that ABC and NBC broadcast “97% bad stories” about him and described them as a real threat to democracy.

Although national broadcast networks are not licensed by the FCC, their local affiliates are, and revoking those licenses would be a complex process. Trump also called for the “twisted press” to be “destroyed” and suggested networks should pay large fees for using valuable airwaves. His criticisms extended to personal attacks on ABC anchor Jonathan Karl and threats of investigations involving former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. FCC officials have rejected Trump’s threats, affirming that the commission does not revoke licenses based on political disagreements or content.