FCC rejects Trump's demand to strip ABC and NBC licenses, eyes revoking The View's news exemption

President Donald Trump urged the Federal Communications Commission to revoke the broadcast licenses of ABC and NBC after the networks declined to air his primetime speech on election security. FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, the commission’s sole Democrat, called the request “ridiculous,” stating that the FCC has no authority to punish stations for refusing a political address and that the move would violate the First Amendment.

At the same time, the FCC is advancing separate regulatory reviews that could affect Disney’s ABC television stations and the daytime talk show The View. The commission is expected to rule that The View does not qualify as a bona‑fide news program, which would strip the show of its equal‑time exemption and require it to provide comparable airtime to competing political candidates. A decision on both matters is anticipated before Labor Day, with any ruling subject to appeal before the full commission and federal courts. Legal experts warn that linking licensing proceedings to a president’s editorial preferences could undermine the FCC’s legitimacy and First‑Amendment protections.