Trump threatens NBC journalist with FCC punishment

President Donald Trump threatened NBC journalist Kristen Welker with possible punishment by US media regulators on Sunday after criticising her coverage of his candidate endorsements before November's midterm elections.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that Welker would be reported to the Federal Communications Commission for “rebuke or punishment” after she said he had “mixed results” in endorsing candidates in party primaries. Trump said his endorsed candidates had won 98 percent to 100 percent of the time.

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.

NBC News did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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.

Experts cited by AFP argue that the FCC lacks legal authority to punish broadcasters or reporters for their viewpoints. 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.