Trump wants ABC and NBC licenses revoked. Can that happen?

BrieAnna J. Frank, USA TODAYFri, July 17, 2026 at 6:54 PM UTC

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President Donald Trump called for ABC and NBC’s licenses to be revoked over not airing his July 16 primetime address focused on election security.

Toward the end of his nearly 26-minute long address from the White House, Trump criticized the networks for not broadcasting it live, alleging that the decision was made “because of the fact that they don’t like the topic.”

“Fraud like this should mean a revocation of their licenses,” he said. “They use our public, multi-billion dollar in value, airways for absolutely no money. They pay nothing. All we want is honesty in our elections and honesty in reporting.”

The networks did air his speech on their respective streaming platforms and provide coverage of his statements afterward.

NBC declined to comment. USA TODAY reached out to ABC.

Experts told USA TODAY that while the Federal Communications Commission has limited power to revoke broadcast licenses, doing so over a network’s editorial decision-making would be unconstitutional.

“The First Amendment doesn’t permit the president to demand coverage by royal decree,” said Robert Corn-Revere, chief counsel at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. “This is First Amendment law 101.”

Here’s what to know.

How has the FCC responded to Trump's comments?

The FCC did not return USA TODAY’s request for comment on July 17. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who has previously threatened broadcast licenses over networks’ Iran war coverage, had not issued a public statement on the matter as of early that afternoon.

Commissioner Anna Gomez, appointed by former President Joe Biden in 2023, said Trump’s call to revoke licenses was “ridiculous” in a statement provided to USA TODAY.

She said the FCC “has no authority to punish a station for refusing to air a blatantly political speech.”

She reiterated those sentiments in a July 17 X post, which also included screenshots of news headlines reporting the networks’ previous decisions to not air speeches from Bidenor former President Barack Obama during their respective terms.

“This is a naked attempt to bully broadcasters, and the FCC should have no part in it,” Gomez said.

Her response echoed previous statements in which she has accused the FCC of engaging in partisan politics to support Trump’s objectives.

Can the FCC revoke licenses over not airing Trump’s speech?

Not according to First Amendment experts.

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“The government is not in charge of deciding what is newsworthy and what isn’t newsworthy, what needs to be carried live and what doesn’t,” Institute for Free Speech President David Keating said.

But given Carr’s past statements and the FCC’s previous actions against broadcasters under the Trump administration, both Keating and Corn-Revere said an attempt to pull licenses over editorial decision-making is possible.

“It certainly wouldn’t surprise me if he (Carr) tried it, but I don’t think it would be successful in the end,” Keating said.

The process, however, would still be time-consuming and costly for the networks, he said.

What actions has the FCC already taken against ABC?

Trump’s comments add to ongoing discussion surrounding the future of ABC’s broadcast licenses.

The FCC initiated an “enforcement action” against the Disney-owned ABC in February after state Rep. James Talarico, D-Texas, appeared on “The View” while running in the state’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary.

Carr has characterized the matter as a procedural issue, saying ABC hadn’t submitted the proper paperwork declaring an appearance by a political candidate that would open the window for an opposing candidate to request “comparable time and placement.”

The FCC began accepting public input as to whether "The View" should be exempt from the requirement to offer equal broadcast opportunities to political candidates in May. More than 50,000 comments had been filed by late June, when ABC launched an on-air campaign to encourage public participation in the matter.

The network accused the FCC of "chilling speech ahead of the fast-approaching 2026 general election” in a July 6 legal filing.

In a separate matter, the FCC in April ordered the Disney-owned ABC to file license renewals for its eight television stations by late May – years ahead of schedule. The order said the commission was investigating the stations “for possible violations of the Communications Act of 1934 and the FCC’s rules, including the agency’s prohibition on unlawful discrimination.”

Disney said in response that it was “confident” its “record demonstrates our continued qualifications as licensees under the Communications Act and the First Amendment and are prepared to show that through the appropriate legal channels.”

Contributing: Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY

BrieAnna Frank is a First Amendment reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at bjfrank@usatoday.com.

USA TODAY's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners.Funders do not provide editorial input.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump wants licenses pulled after networks decline to air speech

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