President Donald Trump said on Sunday that NBC News anchor Kristen Welker should face “rebuke or punishment” from the Federal Communications Commission over a live broadcast segment discussing the success record of his political endorsements.
The Broadcast and the President’s Response
The controversy stems from a live segment aired on a local Washington D.C. affiliate prior to Sunday’s broadcast of NBC’s Meet the Press, which Welker hosts. During the segment, Welker remarked that Trump “is going to loom large over these midterms” and noted that while he had endorsed a slate of primary candidates, he had experienced “mixed results.”
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Welker specifically highlighted the primary victory of appointed interim U.S. Senator Darline Graham—the sister of her late predecessor, Lindsey Graham—alongside other primary outcomes. Following the broadcast, Trump took to social media to denounce Welker as the “Unpopular ‘Hostess’ of … Meet the Fake Press,” accusing her of “purposeful inaccuracy” and warning that she would be reported to the FCC.
Trump’s social media post stated that he hoped his appointed FCC chair, Brendan Carr, and fellow commissioners would “take this Threat to our Country very seriously.” In response to the president’s threats, NBC issued a public statement defending its anchor, declaring that “Kristen is one of the best in the business, and we stand by her.”
Endorsement Records and Electoral Stakes
The debate over the efficacy of Trump’s endorsements comes as political analysts weigh his influence ahead of the November midterms. Trump has backed over 300 successful candidates historically. In the primary cycle leading up to the midterms, 214 of the 218 House candidates he endorsed won their primaries, alongside all 24 Republican Senate primaries.
However, gubernatorial primaries saw some losses, with five of the 21 endorsed candidates defeated. Among them was Mike Lindell, who finished a distant second in Minnesota to state House speaker Lisa Demuth. The Minnesota Supreme Court rejected Lindell’s bid for a recount, confirming an 11-percentage-point defeat. Alongside Darline Graham’s victory, Trump also pointed to the Republican primary win of Oklahoma gubernatorial hopeful Mike Mazzei.
The tension over media coverage of these statistics follows a recent dispute between Trump and HBO Max talk show host Bill Maher. Maher apologized to the president after claiming Trump was winning almost none of his endorsements, prompting Trump to send statistics defending his track record.
An Escalating Relationship with Networks
The friction between Trump and Welker is part of a broader pattern of contentious interactions between the president and NBC News. In June, Trump walked out of an hour-long interview with Welker after she questioned his past pledge of “no new wars” in light of military actions in Iran initiated alongside Israel in late February. During that encounter, Trump called the network “a one-sided crooked network” before abruptly ending the interview.
The FCC complaint threat against Welker marks the latest instance of the administration targeting broadcast networks and media outlets with regulatory scrutiny.
