Politics & Governance
Trump threatens NBC's Kristen Welker with FCC punishment
President Donald Trump threatened NBC journalist Kristen Welker with possible punishment by US media regulators after criticising her coverage of his candidate endorsements before November's midterm elections.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that Welker, host of NBC's Meet the Press, would be reported to the Federal Communications Commission for “rebuke or punishment” after she said his endorsements had produced “mixed results” in party primaries. Trump said his endorsed candidates had won 98 percent to 100 percent of the time.
Welker told a local NBC affiliate that Trump would “loom large over these midterms” and said that, on endorsements, he had “some mixed results” but that one recent pick, Senator Darline Graham, had won a primary contest.
The FCC assigns and oversees licences for radio and television broadcast frequencies. Trump said he hoped FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and the commission would take what he called a threat to the country seriously.
An NBC News spokesperson told AFP: “Kristen is one of the best in the business and we stand by her.”
Ballotpedia has tallied at least 10 defeats this cycle for Trump-backed candidates, including four US House hopefuls and six candidates for governor.
The dispute comes during a broader confrontation between Trump's administration and media outlets it considers too critical. Several news organisations and major broadcast networks have filed lawsuits against the FCC, arguing that regulatory pressure amounts to political retaliation and violates the First Amendment.
A 2025 Yale Journal on Regulation paper said the US Supreme Court has confirmed that US law does not give the FCC power to ban controversial speech.
Update
Ballotpedia has tallied at least 10 defeats this cycle for Trump-backed candidates, including US House and governor hopefuls.
Trump said Welker was not the only journalist he accused of targeting him and called on FCC Chairman Brendan Carr to take the matter seriously.
The source adds context on Trump's previous lawsuits against newspapers, public media funding cuts and a June interview with Welker that ended after a tense exchange.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 August 2026 at 21:32:29 UTC.
Update
An NBC News spokesperson defended Kristen Welker, saying NBC stood by her.
Welker told a local NBC affiliate that Trump would loom large over the midterm elections and that his endorsements had produced mixed results, while noting a recent successful primary pick.
Trump said Welker was not the only journalist he believed should face scrutiny and urged FCC Chairman Brendan Carr to take the matter seriously.
The item adds context about Trump's recent disputes with media outlets and a June interview with Welker that he cut short after a tense exchange.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 August 2026 at 18:55:01 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The source does not say whether any formal complaint had been filed with the FCC.
Source
AFP news report published on .