Why Trump’s comments about ABC’s broadcast license matter

The problem isn’t just that Donald Trump threatened a network’s broadcast license. The problem is that he keeps threatening networks’ broadcast licenses.

By Steve Benen. Sept. 12, 2024, 9:28 AM EDT

It is no surprise that Trump holds admires strong-arm dictators, President Vladimir Putin of Russia, Supreme Leader of North Korea Kim Jong Un1, and Minister Victor Orbán of Hungary. Putin is former KGB; he knows how to control people. Flattering Trump will get you anything you want.

By Jamie Gangel and Jeremy Herb, CNN. Updated 6:48 PM EDT, Wed September 9, 2020

One of the principles of America is freedom of speech and a free press. Trump wants to control what the media says about him.

America has no need for state-run media. Faux News is the closest news media as state-run media. The Trump Party2 controls Faux News.

  1. Kim Jong Un letters with Trump: A window into the leaders’ ‘special friendship’ / CNN Politics. ↩

  2. The Republican Party ceased to exist in 2016 when it chose the most unqualified candidate, Trump, as its presidential candidate during their July July 2016 national convention convention. ↩