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US President Donald Trump lashed out at NBC journalist Kristen Welker on Sunday, threatening to report her to the FCC “for rebuke or punishment” over coverage of his candidate endorsements.
“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,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social account.
“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,” he continued, adding: “How can anyone be allowed to say this, working for freely given Public Airwaves?”
Trump, who has repeatedly criticised Welker in recent years, was responding to comments the “Meet the Press” host made to a local NBC affiliate, in which she said the president would “loom large’ over the upcoming midterm elections.
“He of course has endorsed a slate of candidates in the primaries. He’s had some mixed results, but most recently, his pick of Senator Darline Graham … was successful,” she said.
An NBC spokesperson, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the AFP news agency that the network was standing by Welker, calling her “one of the best in the business.”
Trump has been highly critical of the US media during his time in office, often decrying what he has branded as “fake news” and bringing lawsuits against a number of outlets.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has also ramped up pressure on media companies since Trump’s return to the White House, prompting push back from organisations.
According to the FCC’s own rules, it “cannot prevent the broadcast of any particular point of view,” so it is unclear what action, if any, it could take against Welker.
Writing on X on Sunday, Anna Gomez, a Democrat on the Commission, said the FCC “has no authority to punish journalists this administration doesn’t like.”
“These threats to press freedom are dangerous,” she added. “They undermine the foundation of our democracy, and they have no place in it”.
Nevertheless, Trump said he hoped that “Chairman Brendan Carr, and the fine people of his Commission, will take this Threat to our Country very seriously.”