President Trump Targets ABC and NBC, Sparking FCC Investigations and Culture War Debate

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has found itself at the epicenter of a media-political storm, following President Trump’s sustained attack on major broadcast networks ABC and NBC via social media. Despite traditionally maintaining an independent stance from U.S. presidents, the FCC’s current chair, Brendan Carr, has demonstrated a close alignment with Trump’s views.

Carr has instigated formal reviews of nearly all significant broadcast networks – ABC, CBS, NBC, NPR, and PBS – in addition to launching investigations into the diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives of their corporate parents, Disney and Comcast. Conspicuously absent from Carr’s scrutiny is Fox, a network owned by Trump ally Rupert Murdoch.

Moreover, Carr has publicly supported lawsuits that Trump filed as a private citizen against ABC and CBS, resulting in settlements of $16 million each from the networks’ parent companies. It should be noted that Trump is currently embroiled in another legal dispute with Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal over claims he sent sexually suggestive messages to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

In a series of late Sunday posts, Trump criticized the media and accused ABC and NBC of being “two of the most biased networks in history.” Without presenting evidence, he claimed that 97% of stories they had aired about him were negative and suggested they functioned as an arm of the Democratic party.

The president then proposed that the FCC should either revoke the networks’ broadcast licenses due to their coverage of Republicans and conservatives or, failing that, make them pay heavily for using the airwaves. Neither Carr nor the FCC responded to multiple requests for comment, while ABC and NBC declined to comment on this specific story.

Earlier in the day, the networks’ Sunday morning public affairs shows aired pointed criticism of the FBI’s search of John Bolton’s home, Trump’s former national security adviser who has become a vocal critic of the president. Trump soon responded by denigrating the host of ABC’s This Week, Jonathan Karl, over his appearance and attacking former ally Chris Christie for supporting the FBI investigation into Bolton on the show.

It is crucial to clarify that national networks do not own broadcast licenses to utilize public airwaves, which are granted and reviewed by the FCC. Local stations hold these licenses, however. ABC’s corporate parent, Disney, owns 10 stations, while NBC’s parent company, Comcast, controls 36.

Trump’s attacks on the media are not unprecedented; he has long alleged media outlets of unfair coverage. However, the impact these attacks have had during his second term is notable: The lawsuits that ABC and CBS agreed to settle were considered by many outside legal experts as ones Trump was unlikely to win in court. Separately, at Trump’s behest, the Republican-led Congress eliminated all federal funding for public media, plunging the system into crisis.

According to sources familiar with FCC proceedings, Carr was previously regarded as a relatively conventional free-market conservative on the commission, intent on reducing unnecessary restrictions and bureaucratic red tape within the agency. In his capacity as chair, he has indeed embarked on such efforts, implementing measures to cut back regulations.

However, the investigations and reviews Carr has initiated – including into journalistic decisions by the networks’ news divisions – have left national news outlets in a tangled web and have largely overlooked free speech concerns. Given that parent companies Disney and Comcast, with their extensive entertainment holdings, may require regulatory approval for major deals from federal agencies, FCC reviews could pose potential challenges or costs.

Early in his tenure, Carr revived an investigation of CBS’s 60 Minutes that had been dismissed by his Democratic predecessor. This probe served as a hurdle to Skydance Media’s acquisition of the network’s parent company, Paramount Global, since the agency needed to approve the transfer of licenses for over two dozen CBS affiliate stations as part of the deal.

July was a pivotal month: Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to settle Trump’s lawsuit against CBS. Days later, Carr met with Skydance chief David Ellison, who assured Carr of “Skydance’s commitment to unbiased journalism and its embrace of diverse viewpoints.” Only then did Carr’s FCC approve the merger.

The central point remains evident: the journalists under investigation and highlighted by the president are keenly aware of his actions – and words that could encourage further action.