(Brandon Bell/Pool via AP)
President Donald Trump suggested that his critics ought to have their Federal Communications Commission broadcast licenses revoked during a gaggle on Air Force One Thursday.
ABC suspended late night host Jimmy Kimmel’s show on Wednesday just hours after FCC Chairman Brendan Carr told Benny Johnson, “I’ve been very clear from the moment that I have become chairman of the FCC, I want to reinvigorate the public interest. And what people don’t understand is that the broadcasters, and you’ve gotten this right, are entirely different than people that use other forms of communication. They have a license granted by us at the FCC, and that comes with it an obligation to operate in the public interest.”
“Look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or, you know, there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead,” he added.
On Air Fore One, Trump was asked if he’d task Carr with weighing in on Kimmel’s peers.
“That host is on network television. There is a license. I’ll give you an example. I read someplace that the networks were 97% against me. again, 97% negative. And yet I won, and easily won all seven swing states… popular and won everything. And then 97% against. They give me only bad publicity,” said Trump. “And I mean, they’re getting a license, I would think maybe their license should be taken away. It will be up to Brendan Carr.”
“I think Brendan Carr is outstanding. He’s a patriot. He loves our country, and he’s a tough guy. So we’ll have to see,” he added.
Later in the gaggle, Trump revisited the subject, remarking, “Look, that’s something that should be talked about for licensing, too.”
“When you have a network and you have evening shows and all they do is hit Trump. That’s all they do… when you go back, take a look, all they do is hit Trump… They’re an arm of the Democrat party,” said the president.
The post Trump Floats Revoking Critics’ Broadcast Licenses — Says It’s Up to ‘Tough Guy’ Brendan Carr first appeared on Mediaite.
