Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
US President Donald Trump is demanding possible action against NBC journalist Kristen Welker after she used two words to describe his record of endorsing Republican candidates: “mixed results”. The remark, made while Welker was discussing the 2026 midterm elections, prompted an angry response from the US President, who accused the Meet the Press anchor of deliberately misrepresenting his record and called for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to consider punishing her.
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Trump has built a reputation for an increasingly combative relationship with the news media, with his administration repeatedly challenging broadcasters over coverage it considers unfair.
Welker made the comment during a live appearance on NBC’s Washington station before Sunday’s Meet the Press programme. She did not use the phrase during the main programme. While discussing Trump’s influence over Republican primary races, Welker said the US President’s endorsements remained significant but had produced “mixed results”.
“He, of course, has endorsed a slate of candidates in the primaries,” Welker said. “He’s had some mixed results, but most recently, his pick of Senator Darline Graham, of course, the sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, was successful in her primary battle, so now she takes on Dr. Annie Andrews in South Carolina.”
Trump rejected that assessment.
In a Truth Social post, he pointed to recent victories by Graham in South Carolina and Mike Mazzei in Oklahoma as evidence of the influence of his endorsements. “How can anyone be allowed to say this, working for freely given Public Airwaves? Results are attached. Because of this purposeful inaccuracy, she will be reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment,” Trump wrote.
He also urged FCC Chairman Brendan Carr to take what he described as the matter’s wider implications seriously.
“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 wrote.
NBC STANDS BY WELKER
NBC News pushed back against Trump’s attack.
“Kristen is one of the best in the business and we stand by her,” an NBC News spokesperson told POLITICO, according to the report.
This comes amid the Trump administration taking a tougher stance towards broadcast networks it believes have displayed political bias. Trump has previously targeted ABC News, with the administration’s criticism escalating into legal action. His latest demand also raises questions about how much authority the FCC actually has over news coverage.
WHAT DOES THE FCC HAVE POWER TO DO?
The FCC generally does not intervene simply because a politician or viewer believes a news report was inaccurate or unfair. According to CNN, the agency can investigate allegations of news distortion when there is evidence that a broadcaster deliberately manipulated or distorted news. That distinction could make Trump’s call for a “rebuke or punishment” more complicated than his social media post suggests.
NBC’s local broadcast stations operate under FCC licences because broadcast spectrum is publicly regulated. However, that does not give the agency broad authority to police ordinary editorial judgments.
TRUMP DEFENDS HIS ENDORSEMENT RECORD
Trump has argued that his endorsements are one of the Republican Party’s most powerful political forces. According to Ballotpedia figures cited by the New York Post, Trump has made about 313 endorsements and has recorded a 96 per cent overall success rate. Many of those contests, however, were relatively uncompetitive Republican primaries.
Trump has emphasised narrower figures showing a 100 per cent success rate in Republican Senate primaries and a 98 per cent success rate in House GOP primaries in 2026. He has also pointed to victories by candidates such as Graham and Mazzei while arguing that some candidates would not have been considered serious contenders without his backing.
At the same time, several Trump-endorsed candidates have suffered notable defeats, including Florida Representative Cory Mills and Tennessee’s Andy Ogles.
The confrontation with Welker is not their first clash. In a June Meet the Press interview, Trump grew increasingly frustrated as Welker pressed him over his claims of fraud in California’s vote count and asked him to provide evidence. When Welker told him, “But that’s not evidence,” Trump abruptly walked out of the interview midway after claims about election fraud. He removed his microphone and left the interview, saying, “Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough.”
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
