President Donald Trump has announced via a Truth Social post that he intends to report “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over her coverage of his endorsements ahead of the midterm elections. Trump criticized Welker for stating that he has “mixed results” on his endorsements of candidates, arguing that his recent endorsements, specifically those of Darlene Graham and Mike Mazzei, have been successful with a 100% win rate for the U.S. Senate and 98% for the U.S. House. He contends that this “purposeful inaccuracy” warrants reporting Welker to the FCC for potential rebuke or punishment, suggesting that she is not the only journalist subject to such action.
The article notes that despite Trump’s threat, the FCC’s legal authority to take action against an individual journalist like Welker is limited. The FCC licenses broadcast stations rather than national networks and is prohibited by the First Amendment and the Communications Act of 1934 from censoring broadcast content, with its role in overseeing program content described as “very limited” on its website. The piece also mentions that Trump’s criticism of Welker follows a tense “Meet the Press” interview in early June, where he abruptly ended the segment after a contentious exchange with the NBC anchor over his comments about California election security. Additionally, the article references ongoing criticism of the FCC’s perceived politicization under Commissioner Brendan Carr, whom Trump has referenced, and highlights that while Trump boasts a strong endorsement record in 2026, some of his supported candidates have lost recent primaries.