In a series of late-night posts on Truth Social on Sunday night, President Donald Trump appeared to threaten the broadcast licenses of NBC and ABC, thanks to coverage on their news stations that he doesn’t like.
“Why is it that ABC and NBC FAKE NEWS, two of the absolute worst and most biased networks anywhere in the World, aren’t paying Millions of Dollars a year in LICENSE FEES,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “They should lose their Licenses for their unfair coverage of Republicans and/or Conservatives, but at a minimum, they should pay up BIG for having the privilege of using the most valuable airwaves anywhere at anytime!!! Crooked “journalism” should not be rewarded, it should be terminated!!!”
Earlier in the night, Trump had accused the networks of giving him “97% BAD STORIES. IF THAT IS THE CASE, THEY ARE SIMPLY AN ARM OF THE DEMOCRAT PARTY AND SHOULD, ACCORDING TO MANY, HAVE THEIR LICENSES REVOKED BY THE FCC.”
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The idea of the government threatening to censor news divisions, based on their editorial decisions, is unprecedented in recent American history- even beyond Trump past lawsuits against ABC and CBS, both of which resulted in settlements.
Also Sunday night, Trump had gone off on a particular news segment on ABC News, which included what looked like a threat to prosecute his former friend, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
“Can anyone believe anything that Sloppy Chris says? Do you remember the way he lied about the dangerous and deadly closure of the George Washington Bridge in order to stay out of prison, at the same time sacrificing people who worked for him, including a young mother, who spent years trying to fight off the vicious charges against her,” Trump wrote in the Truth Social. post.
This was in reference to the “Bridgegate” scandal, from 2013, when appointees of Christie reportedly closed lanes on the George Washington Bridge to cause traffic jams on Fort Lee, N.J., to retaliate against that city’s mayor for not endorsing Christie.
There was a federal investigation, leading to criminal convictions of two people, although those convictions were later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. Christie was never charged with a crime, and three years after the scandal, he became the first prominent Republican elected official to endorse Trump for president in 2016. The two later fell out, with Christie running for president against Trump in 2024.
Christie, should such an investigation ever happen, would likely have a strong case for arguing that any prosecution was politically motivated.
Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library.
