US President Donald Trump threatens to report NBC News journalist Kristen Welker to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), accusing her of inaccurately describing his record of endorsing political candidates.
Trump says Ms Welker should face a “rebuke or punishment” after she said he had achieved “some mixed results” with candidates he backed in Republican primaries.
“Because of this purposeful inaccuracy, she will be reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment,” Trump writes on his Truth Social platform.
Ms Welker, moderator of Meet the Press, made the comment during an appearance on NBC’s Washington DC affiliate WRC-TV on Sunday.
“He’s going to loom large over these midterms. There’s no doubt about that. He, of course, has endorsed a slate of candidates in the primaries. He’s had some mixed results,” she says.
She then points to the recent victory of Senator Darline Graham in the South Carolina Republican primary as an example of a successful Trump endorsement.
President Trump strongly disputes the description, saying his endorsement record is significantly better than Ms Welker suggests.
He claims his endorsed candidates have achieved a 100% success rate in Senate races and 98% in House races, citing recent victories involving Ms Graham and Mike Mazzei.
“Their new weapon is to say that my 99% SUCCESS Rate on Endorsements, 100% on Senatorial Endorsements (Many of whom were not even given a shot of winning until I Endorsed!), is either a mixed result, or not very good.”
“In actuality, it is, without question, the strongest Endorsement in the History of Politics,” he adds.
But several high-profile candidates backed by Trump have recently suffered defeats in Republican primaries.
They include Mike Lindell, who loses the Republican primary for Minnesota governor to Lisa Demuth, while Tennessee Representative Andy Ogles loses his re-election primary to Charlie Hatcher.
Former Iowa congressman Randy Feenstra also loses the Republican primary for governor to Zach Lahn, while Burt Jones is defeated in Georgia’s Republican gubernatorial primary by Rick Jackson.
The losses provide context for Ms Welker’s description of President Trump’s endorsement record as having “some mixed results”, although she does not suggest that most of his endorsed candidates have failed.
The dispute comes as the FCC faces separate allegations that it is being used to exert pressure on broadcasters over their news coverage.
ABC sues the commission earlier this month, alleging that regulatory actions taken under FCC Chairman Brendan Carr amount to retaliation by the Trump administration over the network’s reporting.
The FCC has ordered ABC’s eight owned stations to submit their broadcast licences for early renewal. ABC is seeking a temporary restraining order to stop the move, with a hearing expected in October.
The commission rejects the allegations.
“All broadcasters have a legal obligation to operate in the public interest even Disney,” the FCC says, adding that it has been examining claims that Disney engaged in illegal discrimination related to diversity, equity and inclusion.
President Trump also attacks the wider US news media and calls on Mr Carr and the FCC to take action. “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.”
He separately criticises opinion polls, accusing the media of using what he calls “fake polls.”
“THE FAKE POLLS USED BY OUR CROOKED MEDIA ARE OUT OF CONTROL, AND SOMETHING MUST BE DONE ABOUT IT. FCC TO THE RESCUE!” he wrote.
However, the FCC’s own guidance places limits on its ability to intervene in broadcast journalism.
The commission says its authority under its news distortion policy “is narrow” and that it is prohibited from censoring broadcasters or infringing on First Amendment protections.
The FCC says investigations are intended to focus on cases where a news report was deliberately designed to mislead viewers or listeners. It also says it does not investigate ordinary inaccuracies or disagreements over the validity of information presented in news programmes.
NBC News stands behind Ms Welker.
“Kristen is one of the best in the business and we stand by her,” the network says.
FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, the commission’s sole Democrat, also rejects the suggestion that the agency should punish the journalist.
“As I’ve said many times, the FCC has no authority to punish journalists this administration doesn’t like. These threats to press freedom are dangerous. They undermine the foundation of our democracy, and they have no place in it,” she says.
An FCC spokesperson does not immediately respond to requests for comment on Mr Trump’s threat.
The dispute adds to growing tensions between the US president and major news organisations, while raising fresh questions about the limits of the FCC’s regulatory powers and the protection of press freedom.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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