Trump threatens to report journalist Kristen Welker to broadcast regulator

On Sunday, former President Donald Trump threatened that NBC's Kristen Welker should face "rebuke or punishment" from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), following Welker's description of the success records of political candidates endorsed by Trump as "mixed". This came after Welker's live shot on NBC's Meet The Press, during which she discussed the mixed success of candidates endorsed by Trump.

Trump's comments were made through a social media post, where he called Welker the "Unpopular 'Hostess' of ... Meet the Fake Press" and accused her of "purposeful inaccuracy". In the same post, Trump threatened that he would "report her to the FCC for rebuke or punishment" and urged his appointed FCC chair Brendan Carr and his colleagues to "take this Threat to our Country very seriously".

Trump's threat to the FCC is not the first time he has used his influence in this manner. In September 2025, FCC Chair Brendan Carr reportedly pressured television station groups to pre-empt Jimmy Kimmel's show as punishment for a comment made by Kimmel, a frequent critic of Trump. Two conservative-friendly broadcast groups, Sinclair and Nexstar, complied with Carr's request.

ABC also opted to indefinitely pull Kimmel's show. Trump has also won private settlements from ABC and CBS totaling over $30 million during his second presidency. In the lead-up to the midterms, Trump made over 300 endorsements, resulting in the recipients winning their races. However, not all endorsements were successful; five out of the 21 gubernatorial candidates endorsed by Trump lost their primaries.

Trump has maintained that his endorsements are stronger than ever, citing recent primary victories by Republican candidates Darline Graham and Mike Mazzei.