Critics called out President Donald Trump on Sunday after he launched new attacks on the media in posts on Truth Social, saying ABC and NBC should “lose their license” or “pay up BIG.”
Trump first claimed ― inaccurately ― that he’s enjoying the highest approval ratings of his presidency, but suggested the media won’t report on it.
“Except what is written and broadcast in the Fake News, I now have the highest poll numbers I’ve ever had, some in the 60’s and even 70’s,” he wrote.
None of the polls tracked by RealClearPolling show Trump with anything close to those numbers. In fact, he’s 7.8 percentage points underwater on average.
Then, he fired off two messages aimed at ABC and NBC specifically:
Trump’s threats against the media have at times come with huge price tags.
ABC last year paid $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by Trump, while Paramount this summer spent $16 million to settle a lawsuit Trump filed against CBS that most legal observers believed was without merit.
He also frequently attacks specific news personalities and even late-night hosts. Last month, Trump celebrated the news that Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show” would be canceled, and warned that the other shows would soon follow suit.
During his first term, Trump reportedly tried to have Disney, the owners of ABC, censor Jimmy Kimmel.
Critics called him out over his latest threats against free speech: