Trump calls for NBC’s Kristen Welker to face ‘rebuke or punishment’ from the FCC

Treating the Federal Communications Commission like his own personal enforcer, President Donald Trump said on social media Sunday that NBCs Kristen Welker would be reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment over a TV segment he didnt like.

In a separate post, Trump complained in all caps about fake polls and said something must be done about it, adding, FCC to the rescue!

The posts were Trumps most explicit efforts yet to direct the FCC to carry out his wishes. FCC Chair Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee and close ally, did not respond to CNNs request for comment on the matter.

Trump posted a long missive Sunday about what he described as mischaracterizations of his endorsement record in primaries.

He wrote: Kristen Welker, the Unpopular Hostess of the once great Meet the Press, now considered Meet the Fake Press, just stated that Donald Trump has mixed results on his Endorsements of Candidates, when the recent WINS of Darline Graham and Mike Mazzei, stand at 100% for the U.S. Senate, and 98% for the U.S. House, recently and over the longterm. How can anyone be allowed to say this, working for freely given Public Airwaves?

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The FCC has limited power over issues like this, and its own website states the agency cannot prevent the broadcast of any particular point of view, so the notion of punishment for Welker, the moderator of NBCs Meet the Press, would historically be a nonstarter.

But Carr has been quick to respond to Trumps requests to go after media organizations. And he has taken aggressive action against some FCC licensees, particularly ABC, whose parent company, Disney, filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the commission earlier this month.

In March, Carr issued a threat to broadcasters over their coverage of the Iran war after the president made a similar complaint on Truth Social.

In April, the FCC chair initiated an unusual challenge to ABCs local station licenses, one day after Trump called for comedian Jimmy Kimmels firing.

Carr justified the widely criticized action by citing his probe of Disneys diversity practices.

He similarly has an open investigation into NBCs parent company, Comcast, over what he has called invidious forms of DEI discrimination.

Former FCC officials from both parties have criticized Carr for trying to weaponize the agency and chill free speech. Trump, meantime, has singled out Carr for praise.

On Sunday, Trump claimed Welker will be reported to the FCC because of this purposeful inaccuracy.

Anyone can file a complaint to the FCC, though there is no option for objecting to a news report.

Welker made the comment in question while appearing on NBCs local Washington, DC, station to promote Meet the Press.

Her observation about mixed results was backed up by NBCs recent reporting, which noted that six Trump-backed candidates for House and governor lost their primaries earlier this month.

Other news outlets, including CNN, have also described Trumps recent endorsement record as mixed.

NBC News had no comment on the presidents suggestion that Welkers reporting could have repercussions.

The president has criticized Welker repeatedly in the past couple of years while also seeking out her attention and granting her multiple interviews.

Trumps Sunday post focused on his anger over the medias coverage about his endorsement record. Trump concluded by flattering the FCC appointees: The Press is a Disgrace to our Nation, and I hope that Chairman Brendan Carr, and the fine people of his Commission, will take this Threat to our Country very seriously.

The subject also came up on Fridays edition of HBOs Real Time, when Bill Maher said that he heard from the president after saying on his previous episode that Trump used to win all of his endorsements, now hes winning almost none of them. (HBO and CNN share the same parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.)

I heard from one viewer who was very upset about this, contacted me directly, Maher said, indicating that the president texted him with charts to disprove the claim.

Its a little more nuanced, but yes, I overstated it, Maher said. Now, stop texting.