Once again, Trump wants the FCC to put a bandage on his thin skin | Tom Wheeler
The president is lashing out at an NBC host. As the agency’s former chair, I can only hope it stands up for free speech Will the FCC chairperson again abuse his authority over broadcast licenses to put a Band-Aid on Donald Trump’s thin skin? Since the opening days of the Trump presidency, Brendan Carr has acted as the president’s attack dog to coerce broadcasters to say things that please his…
Donald Trump has once again directed the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair, Brendan Carr, to intervene in order to appease his thin-skinned demands. As the former chairperson, Tom Wheeler cannot help but hope that the current FCC will exercise its authority fairly and uphold free speech. Carr, who has frequently acted as Trump's enforcer, recently reignited a complaint against CBS regarding the editing of a 60 Minutes segment featuring Donald Trump.
This followed the agency's consideration of a CBS license transfer to Skydance, which took place after CBS complied with Trump's $16 million settlement demand. Carr's threats against broadcasters to take action, either easily or through more drastic measures, echo the language of a mafia boss. In March 2026, Carr even threatened broadcasters for their coverage of the Iran war, following Trump's complaints on Truth Social.
In April, Carr ordered Disney's eight ABC-owned television stations to submit their licenses for premature review, despite the majority not even being halfway through their license term.
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