President Donald Trump suggested that United States broadcast networks should face scrutiny over their licences if their content is overwhelmingly critical of him, and defended ABC’s decision to suspend late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s show indefinitely over remarks about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
"That’s something that should be talked about for licensing, too. When you have a network and you have evening shows, and all they do is hit Trump," he told reporters aboard Air Force One.
"They’re licensed. They’re not allowed to do that. They’re an arm of the Democrat Party."
Trump praised Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr and drew a direct link between coverage that the president views as negative and the prospect of TV licences being revoked as a consequence.
"I read someplace that the networks were 97% against me again, I get 97% negative. And yet I won it easily. I won all seven swing states, the popular vote, whatever. "They’re 97% against. They give me totally bad publicity, the press," Trump said.
"They’re getting a licence. I would think maybe their licence should be taken away.
"It will be up to Brendan Carr. I think Brendan Carr is outstanding. He’s a patriot. He loves our country, and he’s a tough guy. So we’ll have to see."
The comments add up to Trump’s furthest-reaching threat to US broadcasters who control both industry-leading television news operations as well as air mass-market entertainment that is freely accessible to anyone with a television and viewed daily by millions. — Bloomberg News
