Trump floats revoking broadcast licenses for on-air criticism

President Donald Trump on Thursday said networks could lose their broadcasting licenses if their on-air talent is critical of him, remarks he made aboard Air Force One while addressing the cancellation of Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show. "They're giving me all this bad press and they're getting a license," Trump said. "I would think maybe their license should be taken away." "When you have a network and you have evening shows and all they do is hit Trump, that's all they do - that license, they're not allowed to do that," he added, calling the broadcast network "an arm of the Democrat Party." Trump noted that the decision would ultimately rest with Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, whom he described as an "outstanding" patriot: "He loves our country and he's a tough guy," Trump said. "So we'll have to see."

The remarks place Carr at the center of a dispute over whether the FCC would target late-night hosts or networks for political content, a question Carr sidestepped in subsequent comments. In an interview with CNBC, Carr gave a noncommittal reply when asked whether targets could expand beyond Kimmel to hosts like Jimmy Fallon or Seth Meyers, saying, "We'll see how this plays out." He framed the moment as part of a broader realignment in the media ecosystem, telling CNBC that the United States is "in the midst of a massive shift in dynamics in the media ecosystem for lots of reasons, including the permission structure that President Trump's election has provided," and adding, "I would simply say we're not done yet with seeing the consequences of that shift." Carr’s remarks came amid ongoing internal tensions at the agency as he seeks to curry favor with the president.

Kimmel, who has hosted his late-night program since 2003 and has been a vocal critic of Trump, had provoked the president's supporters after he criticized claims about a man accused of shooting in connection with a high-profile death. The note from the broadcast world cited that the man accused of shooting Charlie Kirk, 31, was not, in investigators’ view, a conservative; instead, investigators described how the alleged gunman, Tyler Robinson, 22, became radicalized with far-left ideologies and was dating his transgender roommate. Kimmel’s monologue earlier this week focused on those remarks and criticized Trump’s framing of Kirk's death. In the days that followed, Kimmel continued to lampoon Trump’s statements, drawing further ire from the administration.

The industry response intensified when Nexstar Media Group, one of the largest local television operators, announced it would no longer air Jimmy Kimmel Live! on its 23 ABC-affiliated stations. Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, said, "Kimmel's comments about Kirk's death are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse." Carr, meanwhile, disclosed that he was considering an investigation into Kimmel and ABC in the wake of those remarks. In remarks to Fox News, he asserted that the talk-show host was "suffering the consequences" of his actions and argued that networks subsidize late-night programs while the FCC expects broadcasters to "broadly serve the public interests". "I'm very glad to see that America's broadcasters are standing up to serve the interest of their community," Carr said, after asserting that late-night hosts were "enforcing a very narrow political ideology."

The episodes underscore a volatile convergence of politics and broadcasting as Trump’s presidency continues to roil regulatory conversations at the FCC. Carr’s stance, the network responses, and the evolving media landscape together illustrate how political rhetoric and regulatory levers intersect in an environment where credibility and audience loyalty are increasingly contested. At the same time, observers cautioned that any broad use of licensing authority would be unprecedented and subject to legal and regulatory review, even as the administration presses for a more assertive approach to media coverage. The situation remains fluid, with the FCC’s next moves anticipated as part of a wider reshaping of the country’s media ecosystem.