The US president has asserted that these networks only broadcast “bad publicity” about him.
President Trump has raised the possibility of revoking the broadcast licenses of American TV networks that offer unfavorable coverage of him.
This suggestion emerged after ABC temporarily suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” following criticism of what the network deemed “offensive and insensitive” remarks made by the comedian regarding the death of conservative figure Charlie Kirk.
Kimmel had stated on his show that Trump and his supporters were attempting to “score political points” from Kirk’s death, likening the president’s reaction to “how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.”
Trump, while returning from the UK on Air Force One on Thursday, told reporters that TV networks “give me only bad publicity or press.”
He stated, “I mean, they are getting a license. I would think maybe their license should be taken away.”
However, Trump acknowledged that the decision to keep the networks on air rests with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr, whom Trump believes is “doing a great job.”
Just hours before ABC suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, Carr suggested to podcaster Benny Johnson that “these companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead,” adding “we can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
Trump applauded ABC’s decision on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday, also suggesting that NBC’s late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers should be “canceled.”
Trump emphasized that the late-night shows, according to someone, “have not had a conservative on in years or something…but when you go back and take a look, all they do is hit Trump. They are licensed. They are not allowed to do that.”
On Tuesday, Meyers accused Trump of “pursuing a crackdown on free speech,” while Stephen Colbert, whose CBS show will end after May 2026, argued that “this is blatant censorship. With an autocrat, you can’t give an inch.”