US President Donald Trump has accused national broadcasters ABC and NBC of spreading ‘fake news’ and said the networks should be ‘made smaller’, calling them a ‘virtual arm of the Democrat Party’. The remarks, made on his Truth Social platform, follow a broader dispute with the media and a series of escalating tensions over press access and coverage control. Trump’s comments came in response to a Newsmax story claiming that Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr is advancing plans to give television networks greater reach, including a potential merger between Nexstar Media Group and Tegna Inc.
Trump has intensified his long-running attacks on the news media in recent weeks, even as his administration moves to restrict press access and tighten control over coverage. His criticism has broadened beyond national broadcasters, following incidents such as late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s joke about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, which prompted Carr to threaten to review and potentially revoke the broadcast licenses of ABC-owned local stations and their affiliates.
Trump last week renewed his call for the FCC to revoke the broadcast licenses of ABC, escalating a dispute that has simmered since his first term. The latest clash followed a question from an ABC News reporter pressing him on his handling of files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein—an exchange that prompted Trump to accuse the network of pushing politically motivated narratives. FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez recently stated that revoking broadcast licenses over a reporter’s question would not hold up legally, noting that networks do not hold licenses themselves and none of their station licenses are up for renewal soon.
The FCC, an independent agency, grants eight-year licenses to individual stations, not national networks. FCC head Brendan Carr reiterated his call to strengthen public-interest standards for broadcasters, emphasizing that the commission remains ‘open-minded’ about such proposals. These tensions highlight the deepening ideological divide between Trump’s administration and the media, with the president seeking greater control over coverage and the regulatory framework governing news outlets.