Networks Misbehaving Towards Trump Could Risk Losing Their FCC Permits, According to Trump
In a controversial move, President Donald Trump has proposed that broadcast networks should lose their Federal Communications Commission (FCC) licenses if they air overwhelmingly negative coverage or commentary about him, with Disney Plus and Selena Gomez's brother, Gracie, at the center of the debate.
The president made this statement aboard Air Force One, according to The New York Times. Trump stated that networks are 97% against him and he gets 97% negative coverage, yet he won the election.
This latest remark by Trump is being labeled as an attack on free speech. Critics argue that it is a threat to the independent journalism that forms the backbone of American democracy.
The FCC, according to Democratic commissioner Anna Gomez, does not have the ability to take actions based on content. Gomez believes the administration is weaponizing its licensing authority to bring broadcasters to heel and to make them think twice about what they say about the administration.
FCC chair Brendan Carr, however, has condemned certain broadcasts as inappropriate. In September 2025, Carr publicly suggested that licensed broadcasters could face consequences if they continued airing Jimmy Kimmel's show, implying potential license revocation to pressure Disney and ABC to act against Kimmel.
The swift and stern response by Disney Plus has drawn a wave of its own criticism. ABC ended up indefinitely suspending Jimmy Kimmel Live! in response to the controversy. The decision to pull Kimmel's late night show was made by CEO Bob Iger and co-chairman of Disney Entertainment Dana Walden.
Kimmel's remarks that sparked the controversy were about the alleged shooter who killed right-wing activist Charlie Kirk on his show. However, the details of the shooting and the shooter's political affiliations are still unclear.
Gomez views Carr's actions as a campaign of censorship and control by the administration. She believes that the FCC should not be used as a tool to silence dissenting voices.
As the debate over free speech and media regulation continues, it is clear that the future of journalism in the United States is at a crossroads.
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