Former President Donald Trump launched a fierce attack on ABC and NBC Sunday night, accusing the networks of extreme bias and calling for their FCC licenses to be revoked.

 

 

On the night of August 24, 2025, former President Donald Trump launched an extraordinary assault on two of the nation’s biggest broadcast networks, ABC and NBC, accusing them of being “totally biased” and calling for the Federal Communications Commission to revoke their licenses.

The Twitter and Truth Social posts, which came late Sunday evening, quickly went viral, igniting a firestorm across social media, political commentary shows, and newsrooms nationwide.

Trump claimed that “97%” of coverage about him on these networks was negative—a figure he offered without citing a verifiable source—and warned that this bias posed “an actual threat to our Democracy.”

Trump’s criticism, delivered in his signature all-caps style, explicitly labeled the networks as “FAKE NEWS” and “two of the absolute worst and most biased networks anywhere in the world.”

He suggested that both ABC and NBC should either lose their licenses or, at minimum, be forced to pay “Millions of Dollars a year in LICENSE FEES” for the privilege of using the airwaves.

“Crooked ‘journalism’ should not be rewarded, it should be terminated,” he added in a post that quickly dominated trending topics online.

 

 

The president’s late-night tirade drew immediate reactions from media analysts, legal experts, and politicians. Critics pointed out that both ABC and NBC operate primarily as content providers for local affiliates, which are regulated by the FCC.

These affiliates hold the necessary broadcast licenses, not the networks themselves. Federal law also protects news outlets under the First Amendment, making any attempt to revoke licenses on the grounds of editorial bias highly unlikely to survive legal scrutiny.

Experts noted that historically, courts have struck down any regulation attempts perceived as punishment for perceived media bias.

During his social media posts, Trump repeatedly framed his attack as a fight for fairness in American media.

“They should lose their Licenses for their unfair coverage of Republicans and/or Conservatives,” he wrote, continuing his longstanding narrative that mainstream media outlets disproportionately target conservative figures while shielding liberal perspectives.

Social media platforms were flooded with responses, ranging from supporters echoing his frustrations to critics warning of threats to press freedom.

 

 

Trump’s comments also come amid ongoing tensions with networks he has previously challenged legally.

In 2024, he settled a defamation suit against ABC for \$15 million, while Paramount Global and CBS reached a settlement earlier this year related to election interference claims.

His personal history with NBC, where he hosted *The Apprentice* before entering politics, adds another layer to his longstanding grievances with broadcast television.

Many commentators speculated that Trump’s rhetoric could foreshadow another wave of public attacks on media institutions leading up to political campaigns.

Legal experts emphasized the limits of presidential authority over FCC licensing. The FCC regulates local station licenses and ensures that broadcast standards are upheld, but it cannot revoke a license simply because a network’s coverage is perceived as unfavorable.

“Any attempt to do so would almost certainly be blocked in federal court,” said one media law professor.

“The First Amendment protects editorial discretion, even if it is controversial or critical of the government or political figures.”

Trump also referenced a conservative media report from the Media Research Center, which concluded that coverage of his first 100 days in office was “92% negative,” though he cited “97%” in his posts.

Observers noted that Trump frequently relies on selective media studies to substantiate claims about bias, often without providing full methodological transparency.

Despite this, his base has historically responded strongly to such assertions, viewing them as confirmation of longstanding distrust toward mainstream media.

 

 

The former president’s social media campaign highlighted not only his personal grievances but also a broader narrative regarding media accountability and perceived political bias.

Some Republicans applauded his willingness to publicly challenge networks, while press freedom advocates warned that rhetoric suggesting license revocations could undermine democratic norms.

“The idea of punishing media outlets for perceived editorial bias is deeply concerning,” said one advocacy representative. “It threatens the independence of journalism, which is a cornerstone of democracy.”

On the technical side, the FCC requires that broadcast affiliates pay regulatory and licensing fees, with the revenue deposited into the U.S. Treasury.

Cable networks, like CNN or Fox News, are subject to their own fee structures but do not operate under local broadcast licenses. Experts pointed out that Trump’s statements blurred these distinctions, fueling confusion among his followers and the general public.