President Donald Trump has entered into the Christmas spirit of peace on Earth and goodwill to all by threatening to terminate the TV networks that don’t praise him.
Trump, 79, embarked on a fiery festive rant on Truth Social in the very early hours of Wednesday morning, Christmas Eve, that ended with the president prematurely wishing his followers a “MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!” 24 hours early.
The fuming president launched one of his frequent tirades against American TV networks, claiming they were against him. This week, however, CBS seemed to pander to the president’s whims by spiking a story about the Trump administration deporting Venezuelan migrants to a notorious megaprison in El Salvador just three hours before it was due to air on Sunday’s 60 Minutes.
“If Network NEWSCASTS, and their Late Night Shows, are almost 100% Negative to President Donald J. Trump, MAGA, and the Republican Party, shouldn’t their very valuable Broadcast Licenses be terminated?” Trump posted on Tuesday. He then answered his own question: “I say, YES!”
Trump has seemingly been emboldened to threaten networks after his hand-picked FCC chief, Brendan Carr, got involved in taking Jimmy Kimmel Live! off air for a week in September, after he made a joke about the MAGA reaction to the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.
While the FCC cannot cancel broadcasting licenses for major TV networks such as ABC, CBS, and NBC, it can control their local affiliate stations, which is how Carr attempted to cancel Trump foe Kimmel, resulting in only a brief suspension.
It wasn’t just news networks that bothered Trump on Christmas Eve.
Fresh from promoting his own pre-recorded appearance “hosting” the Kennedy Center Honors on CBS on Tuesday night, the president was triggered by his regular comedy arch-enemy, Stephen Colbert.
Though Colbert’s program is currently in reruns for the holidays, Trump still found time to fire off a bizarre demand for CBS to euthanize the 61-year-old’s late-night show before his contract ends in May.
“Stephen Colbert is a pathetic trainwreck, with no talent or anything else necessary for show business success,” Trump wrote.
Claiming Colbert was “left out to dry” after a termination by CBS that Trump celebrated, the president repeated his trusty insult about failing ratings.
“Stephen is running on hatred and fumes,” he said unironically. “A dead man walking! CBS should, ‘put him to sleep,’ NOW, it is the humanitarian thing to do!”
Trump’s outburst could have also been prompted by headlines this week about Colbert being marked for a potential presidential bid in 2028.
It has been a busy week for Trump and CBS. CBS News’ new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss was reportedly the person behind the decision to pull the 60 Minutes segment.
Sharyn Alfonsi, the reporter behind the spiked story on the CECOT prison, said in a leaked memo, “If the standard for airing a story becomes ‘the government must agree to be interviewed,’ then the government effectively gains control over the 60 Minutes broadcast. We go from an investigative powerhouse to a stenographer for the state.”
The president, who turns 80 next year, then pondered to his 11 million followers, “Who has the worst Late Night host, CBS, ABC, or NBC??? They all have three things in common: High Salaries, No Talent, REALLY LOW RATINGS!”
Trump has teased the threat of stripping TV licenses several times this year, citing unfair coverage.
In the days after Kimmel’s show was suspended, he claimed that “97 percent” of the networks are against him.
“When you have a network and you have evening shows and all they do is hit Trump, that’s all they do—if you go back, I guess they haven’t had a conservative one in years, or something—when you go back and take a look, all they do is hit Trump. They’re licensed. They’re not allowed to do that.”
