Trump says NBC journalist should face 'punishment' from broadcast regulator

Trump notes NBC journalist should face 'punishment' from broadcast regulator.

Key points

• Welker is an award-winning journalist who earned bipartisan praise after moderating a 2020 presidential debate featuring Trump and Joe Biden, the Democrat who won that year's election.
• Trump took to his Truth Social platform to attack Kristen Welker as the "unpopular 'hostess' of the once great Meet the Press" talk show.
• "I hope that Chairman Brendan Carr, and the fine people of his Commission, will take this Threat to our Country very seriously, " Trump remarked.
• He has sued a number of newspapers including the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, and ordered federal funding slashed for public media.
• Billionaire Trump applied American media to his advantage over the years as a provocative real estate developer in New York.

Trump notes NBC journalist should face 'punishment' from broadcast regulator. AFP Published August 31, 2026 Updated August 31, 2026 12: 19am. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

United States President Donald Trump on Sunday threatened a prominent NBC broadcast journalist with feasible punishment by US media regulators as the Republican expressed disappointment with coverage of his candidate endorsements ahead of November's midterm elections.

He objected to her having remarked the president had had "mixed results" on his endorsement of political candidates in party primaries, insisting the races had gone his way 98 per cent to 100pc of the time.

Welker, speaking early Sunday to a local NBC affiliate, remarked Trump would "loom large over these midterms".

When it came to endorsements, she continued, he "had some mixed results, but most recently, his pick of Senator Darline Graham. Was successful in her primary battle".

Trump, in his comments, remarked that "because of this purposeful inaccuracy, she will be reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment". The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) assigns and oversees licenses for radio and television broadcast frequencies.

"Unfortunately, she is not the only one, " he continued. "The Radical Left News is going out of their way to harass, demean, and libel anything 'TRUMP'."

For context, an NBC News spokesperson, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, defended Welker on Sunday, telling AFP that "Kristen is one of the best in the business and we stand by her".

Billionaire Trump applied American media to his advantage over the years as a provocative real estate developer in New York. But as president he dramatically turned against the press and what he called "fake news".

His administration has ramped up restrictions and attempts to intimidate journalists, and the FCC – headed by a close Trump associate – has pressured broadcasters to toe the line.

In practice, the latest attack is part of the Trump administration's months-long offensive against media outlets it deems overly critical.

Such efforts are facing growing resistance from news organisations and major broadcast networks. A number of of them have filed lawsuits against the FCC, arguing such pressure constitutes political retaliation that violates the First Amendment of the US Constitution. It protects freedom of speech.

Relations between Trump and Welker have been under pressure for months. In June, the president abruptly cut short an interview with her after a tense exchange, during which he grew irritated by Welker's questioning, particularly on the war against Iran.

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

According to a 2025 paper by the Yale Journal on Regulation, the US Supreme Court has confirmed that US law "does not grant the FCC the power to ban controversial speech".

Taken together, the developments around trump says NBC journalist should face ' punishment' from broadcast regulator point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.