Donald Trump suggests networks that carry critical coverage should lose licenses, amid calls for boycott of ABC owner Disney – key US politics stories from 18 September 2025
Donald Trump suggested on Thursday the TV networks that cover him “negatively” could lose their licenses after he celebrated ABC suspending late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.
The president said major US networks were “97% against me”, though he did not offer evidence to support this figure. “They give me only bad press. I mean they’re getting a license. I would think maybe their licenses should be taken away.”
The president’s claim that US TV networks need to be licensed by the government to operate is incorrect. While local TV stations do require a license from the Federal Communications Commission, the FCC says clearly on its website that it does “not license TV or radio networks (such as CBS, NBC, ABC or Fox)”.
The move has prompted numerous calls for a boycott against Disney, ABC’s parent company, and other major media conglomerates that have refused to air Kimmel’s show.
