Trump's Threat to Revoke TV Broadcast Licences Over 'Negative Coverage' Likely Illegal, FCC Rules Clarify

US President Donald Trump is sending a warning to TV broadcast companies over criticisms from newscasts and late-night shows that target him and the GOP regularly.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said if 'network NEWSCASTS, and their Late Night Shows, are almost 100% Negative to President Donald J. Trump, MAGA, and the Republican Party,' the consequences are to have their 'very valuable broadcast license revoked'.

Trump's Warning to Late Night Show Hosts

Trump's post followed his rant against The Late Show host, Stephen Colbert. The US President called Colbert a 'pathetic trainwreck, with no talent or anything else necessary for show business success'.

He claims Colbert's show was 'terminated' by CBS and that Colbert has been 'left out to dry'. In one of his posts, he also went further to call Colbert a 'dead man walking' and that CBS should 'put him to sleep'. Stephen, who heavily criticised the President, was named by Trump himself as 'running on hatred and fumes'.

Mocking Colbert's failed talk show, Trump also mentioned 'nonexistent ratings', although it's more of a subjective claim. While the show is set to end in May 2026, it was also one of the highest-rated late-night talk shows with an 'average of 3.059 million total viewers'. It also surpasses The Tonight Show in terms of key demographic viewership.

Besides Colbert, Trump didn't spare any late-night hosts, with other posts asking who had the worst host. 'Who has the worst Late Night host, CBS, ABC, or NBC???'

The president also added, 'They all have three things in common: High Salaries, No Talent, REALLY LOW RATINGS'.

Negative Coverage = License Revoked

Trump's criticism of late-night hosts came from repeated frustrations over coverage that put him in a negative light earlier this year. However, the concept of revoking TV broadcast licenses is not new, as the president has been floating it for months now.

According to CBS News, the decision to revoke the licenses is up to Brendan Carr, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). It was the time Jimmy Kimmel faced suspension for making a monologue about who's behind Charlie Kirk's assassination.

One of the FCC's key roles is issuing broadcast licences to individual TV and radio stations, which last for eight years. Many of these stations are owned and operated by major television networks. While the FCC oversees these licences and enforces broadcasting rules, it does not control the content of what is aired.

During a recent Senate hearing, FCC Chair Carr said the agency is 'not formally an independent agency'. Later, the word 'independent' was removed from the FCC's website, causing some confusion over its status. Despite this, the FCC maintains that it cannot censor broadcasts.

On its website, it says, 'Broadcasters – not the FCC or any other government agency – are responsible for selecting the material they air'. Then added, 'The First Amendment and the Communications Act expressly prohibit the Commission from censoring broadcast matter'.

Can Trump Revoke TV Broadcasting Licenses?

Trump's statement that it's up to Carr doesn't guarantee that licenses will be revoked, especially since Carr's agency doesn't have the authority to decide or restrict messages on TV or radio.

Broadcasters ultimately decide what the public sees and hears, meaning freedom of speech is preserved while the FCC ensures lawful and orderly operation of the airwaves. Acting based on political disagreements or personal opinions about content will face immediate First Amendment challenges in court.

Even if Trump's role allows him to nominate commissioners or set policy priorities, the FCC still operates independently in enforcing rules, unless he can overwrite that. Any attempt to directly remove a licence would still face legal and constitutional consequences.