Trump Threatens the Media Again For Refusing to Air His Full Speech

During a speech in New Hampshire, Donald Trump once again suggested that elements of the media he dislikes should suffer legal consequences.

Campaigning in New Hampshire the day after his predictable victory in the Iowa Republican caucus, Trump said “CNN and NBC refused to air [his] victory speech. Think of it: because they are crooked, they’re dishonest, and frankly, they should have their licenses—or whatever they have—taken away.”

This is not the first time Trump has made such threats against the media. 

After he did it in October 2017, the Republican head of the Federal Communications Commission rejected the proposition, stating that the FCC “does not have the authority to revoke a license of a broadcast station based on the content of a particular newscast.” 

Rather, the FCC—one of many independent agencies Trump seeks to bring under presidential control if he’s given a second term—issues staggered licenses to individual broadcast stations. 

Trump’s threats continued after leaving office, even suggesting MSNBC in particular should be investigated for treason. 

In his New Hampshire remarks, Trump complained that CNN and NBC aired the full speeches of his Republican rivals, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis. 

Trump has received little public backlash from Republican leaders about his censorious instincts, despite allegedly representing the “party of free speech.”