The U.S. president wants licenses stripped from TV networks he calls “political pawns.” CNN’s Chief Media Analyst Brian Stelter calls it an “assault on the media” that echoes tactics in Hungary.

Washington

Donald Trump has publicly called for major television networks to have their broadcast licenses revoked, citing claims of bias. Historically, the licensing of local TV stations by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been a routine, non-partisan process, with licenses typically renewed without controversy.

Experts note that Trump's statements represent a significant departure from established norms, raising concerns about political influence over an independent federal agency. While it remains uncertain whether any concrete action will be taken, the rhetoric has contributed to a broader chilling effect on media coverage. Comparisons have been drawn to similar tactics used in other countries to weaken independent media, with observers warning of potential risks to press freedom.

Trump calls for major TV networks to lose broadcast licenses

do you, what should we make of Donald Trump's threats at this point? Right, historically FCC licensing of local TV stations has been a non-partisan affair. Frankly, it's been a boring topic, Becky. I've never really bothered to cover it in the past because licenses have just been ruined almost automatically. It's been like a rubber stamp process. And maybe there are pros and cons to that, but there's never been a debate about taking stations off the air because an American president just personally doesn't like them or claims that they're biased in some way. This is completely unchartered territory. Whether Trump follows through or not, of course, is always an open question. But you might look at his posts on True Social as a form of public pressure for his own agency appointees. In this case, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who is a Trump loyalist, doesn't necessarily need to read Trump's True Social posts to know what President Trump wants. He does talk to the president on a regular basis, and he also goes on Fox News to impress President Trump. Whether there's actually an attempt to move against these licenses, again, remains to be seen. It would be very difficult. It would take years. It would end up being tied up in the courts. The only X factor here, Becky, is whether Congress would take action to change the licensing process, to make it easier for the president and his agency appointees to actually revoke these licenses. Of course, all of it matters because it's in the context of Trump filing lawsuits against media outlets, getting settlements from CBS's parent, Paramount, earlier this month. It does create this chilling effect more broadly against media coverage. And this is, of course, a federal agency, the FCC, and it is supposed to be independent. I spoke with Tom Wheeler, the former chairman of the FCC. Have a listen to what he told me about the agency. There is the regulatory power of an agency that is supposed to be independent and supposed to be making its decisions in the public interest, exercising that regulatory power in what appears to be designed to benefit Donald Trump and the mega political agenda. And this was in reference to that Paramount Skydance merger that you referenced. I did that interview with Tom before that merger was approved by the FCC, just days after the most recent sort of saga, that being the the dropping of the Stephen Colbert show. What do you make of Tom Wheeler's comments there? Yes, and all of this comes as a form of repetition by President Trump. He has said over and over again that he wants station licenses to be revoked. He has said this repeatedly, and that softens the ground for more autocratic actions in the future. When I see Trump talking about station licenses or his other assaults on the media, I think about the Hungary model, Viktor Orban's model in Hungary. When I've spoken to experts who lived through it, who lived through the democratic backsliding in Hungary, they say many of the steps taken there are reminiscent of what Trump is talking about now. Most of what Trump is doing is through words, not actions. But he has successfully defunded public broadcasting in the U.S., and he has achieved these settlements with a couple of big media companies in the U.S. And that is related to the Hungary model, insofar as you weaken the independent media sources, you empower your supporters in the media, a propagandistic, more pliant press, and you try to create a sense of what one expert said to me are autocratic sticks and carrots, punishing those that fall out of line and using your carrots to keep others in line. Trump's words, his rhetoric around station licenses, are very much in keeping with that autocratic approach toward the media.

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