Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr suggested on Wednesday, July 23rd, 2026, that ABC's decision not to air President Donald Trump's primetime speech on election security could factor into the FCC's review of broadcast licenses held by Disney, which owns ABC and its stations in eight cities.

ABC and NBC both declined to broadcast Trump's speech delivered from the East Room of the White House on July 16th, 2026. The speech addressed election security and alleged vulnerabilities during the 2020 election. CNN also skipped the address, but as a cable channel, it is not regulated by the FCC in the same way as broadcast networks like ABC and NBC.

Carr told Fox News Digital, "I was asked at the beginning of the week whether I thought broadcasters should air the president's remarks, and I said, of course they should," adding that broadcasters have an obligation to operate in the public interest and serve their communities. He emphasized that "making sure that people have access to significant presidential addresses is part and parcel of what all broadcasters should want to do."

President Trump had previously stated that ABC and NBC should lose their broadcast licenses because they declined to air his speech. He described a "plot" to "continue this fraud," a criminal conspiracy that he said included ABC and NBC, citing their refusal to provide live coverage of his remarks.

Carr's comments align with Trump's view and suggest the FCC may consider ABC's editorial decision in its license renewal process. This stance contrasts with the approach during Trump's first term when FCC Chairman Ajit Pai declined to act on similar matters.

However, critics argue that punishing news organizations for editorial choices that displease the president conflicts with First Amendment protections of press freedom.

On July 23rd, 2026, a coalition of 14 conservative organizations led by the Center for Individual Freedom (CFIF) expressed support for Carr's deregulatory efforts but urged the FCC to maintain the "well-established, routine, predictable, and presumptive nature of broadcast license renewals."

Sources