President Trump took to social media Sunday, posting a long message that threatened a major news network over unflattering coverage of his political clout. In doing so, Trump yet again personally insulted a female reporter while also using his authority in an apparent attempt to punish or influence unfavorable stories about his presidency.
Trump threatens ‘rebuke or punishment’ against Kristen Welker over endorsement comment
Trump posted a long social media message taking aim at Meet the Press host Kristen Welker and her employer, NBC News. “Kristen Welker, 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 said in the message. After attempting to defend his track record of endorsements by pointing to primary victories such as that by Darline Graham in the GOP primary of the race to replace her brother, Lindsey Graham, Trump said that Welker “will be reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment.” Signaling to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr to take action, Trump said in his post “The Press is a Disgrace to our Nation, and I hope that Chairman Brendan Carr, and the fine people of his Commission, will take this Threat to our Country very seriously.”
Trump’s threat against Welker represents the latest in a long line of attempts by the president to use the power of the state and the legal system to attack or intimidate those he sees as political opponents or critics. Threats made by Carr against late night host Jimmy Kimmel and ABC parent company Disney led to ABC suspending Kimmel after a comment about Trump’s Make America Great Again movement in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder. CBS pulled an interview by Stephen Colbert with Democratic Senate Candidate James Talarico under the threat of scrutiny by Carr and the FCC. In this case, experts maintain that the FCC does not have the authority to punish Welker for her comments about the president. FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, a Biden appointee, posted in response to Trump’s threats “As I’ve said many times, the FCC has no authority to punish journalists this administration doesn’t like.” Gomez added that “these threats to press freedom are dangerous. They undermine the foundation of our democracy, and they have no place in it.”
Weaponization of executive authority under Trump
Even with the law on Welker’s side, Trump’s threats of “rebuke or punishment” are concerning given the track record of his administration. Since returning to the White House, Trump has repeatedly attempted to pursue criminal prosecutions against political opponents such as New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey on dubious legal charges that have since been dismissed in court or questioned by legal experts; Trump even posted on social media ordering then-U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute Comey, James and California Sen. Adam Schiff. Trump is currently pursuing similar charges against Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook, part of an attempt to remove her from her position after she disagreed with Trump over interest rates.
While Trump has sought to legally punish opponents and halt unfavorable news coverage of his administration, the president has reserved much of his most potent vitriol for women reporters, often women of color. In his current term, Trump has called MS Now’s Akayla Gardner “you dumb person,” dismissed ABC News journalist Rachel Scott as “one of the worst reporters” and “a horror show,” accused NBC News Washington correspondent Yamiche Alcindor of being “very aggressive” and even snapped at one female reporter “quiet piggy” as she asked him a question about Jeffrey Epstein. Trump and Welker have clashed before. In 2020, Welker was praised with the way she handled President Trump and presidential candidate Joe Biden during their third televised debate of that election cycle. In June, Trump blew up during an interview with Welker for Meet the Press; as she pressed him on his unfounded election fraud claims, Trump snapped at Welker with insults, telling her “you’re either crooked or you’re stupid” before the president abruptly ended the interview.
In his Sunday post, Trump continued both his practice of personally insulting women of color in journalism and his attempts to use his authority to punish those who dare to criticize or stand up to him. While this latest threat may not result in a specific punishment for Welker, it continues the president’s often-successful strategy of intimidating the media and his willingness to use the office of the presidency for personal retribution.