Donald Trump has endorsed comments by Brendan Carr, the chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), threatening to revoke the broadcast licences of news organisations that report unfavourably on the war in Iran. In a post on Truth Social on Sunday night, Trump said he was “thrilled” that Carr was “looking at the licenses of some of these Corrupt and Highly Unpatriotic ‘News’ Organizations”.
Carr wrote on X on Saturday that broadcasters “that are running hoaxes and news distortions – also known as the fake news – have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up”. In an interview with Reuters published on Monday, Carr said he could accelerate reviews of licences held by broadcast television stations and that it was possible to revoke licences as a result of pending investigations.
The comments drew rebukes from both Democrats and Republicans, who noted the First Amendment protects news organisations from government censorship. Trump’s remarks suggest he will widen his campaign against the media. He also claimed Iran is “working in close coordination with the Fake News Media” in disseminating AI-generated images, and suggested media outlets that generated such images should face treason charges.
Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary and former Fox News host, lambasted the press on Friday for unfavourable coverage, barring press photographers from a briefing and singling out CNN by name. It is not the first time Trump has threatened broadcasters’ licences; he previously called for ABC’s licence to be revoked after a reporter asked about the Epstein files.
In February, Carr called for broadcasters to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary by airing “patriotic, pro-America content” that highlights the nation’s accomplishments “from our founding through the Trump Administration today”.
