Trump vows to report NBC anchor Kristen Welker to FCC over 'purposeful inaccuracy' on endorsements

Trump Threatens FCC Action Over NBC’s “Meet the Press” Host

Washington, D.C. – On Sunday, former President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to announce that NBC’s “Meet the Press” moderator, Kristen Welker, would be reported to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for allegedly misrepresenting his record of endorsing Republican primary candidates. Trump’s post, which blasted Welker’s comment that his endorsement outcomes were “mixed,” called for the FCC to “rebuke or punish” the host and urged Chairman Brendan Carr to take the matter seriously.

Welker’s comment sparks a federal complaint

The comment in question was made by Welker during a live preview appearance on NBC4 Washington, not during the Sunday broadcast of “Meet the Press.” She noted that President Trump had backed a slate of candidates in the Republican primary season and that, “he’s had some mixed results.” Welker cited the recent primary victory of Senator Darline Graham and the win of former state senator Mike Mazzei as evidence that Trump’s endorsements were largely successful. She went on to say, “He’s going to loom large over these midterms. There’s no doubt about that.”

Trump’s Truth Social post read, “Kristen Welker… said Donald Trump has ‘mixed results’ on his endorsements of candidates… How can anyone be allowed to say this, working for freely given Public Airwaves? Because of this purposeful inaccuracy, she will be reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment.” He finished the post by calling the press a “disgrace” and demanding that Carr act to protect the nation from what he saw as journalistic distortion.

Trump’s endorsement record

The president’s endorsement history is a point of contention in the Republican primary field. A tracker run by Fox News found that Trump-backed candidates won all 24 Republican Senate primaries in which he lent support and 214 of 218 House primaries, giving him a 100 percent success rate in the Senate and roughly 98 percent in the House. Two of those victories—Darline Graham’s win over Rep. Ralph Norman in South Carolina’s Senate runoff and Mike Mazzei’s win over Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond—came in early February.

Despite the impressive win rates, Trump has also seen his endorsed candidates lose. The Fox News tracker reports that five of his gubernatorial picks were defeated, including Pamela Evette in South Carolina, Mike Lindell in Minnesota, and Megan Degenfelder in Wyoming.

“His record is historically strong,” Trump said in his post. “He has a 99 percent success rate on endorsements and a 100 percent success rate on Senatorial endorsements. That is the strongest endorsement in the history of politics.” He contrasted this with what he called the media’s use of his few losses to paint a negative picture.

NBC defends Welker

An NBC News spokesperson quickly responded to Trump’s threat, saying, “Kristen is one of the best in the business and we stand by her.” NBC also pointed out that Welker’s remarks were not made on the “Meet the Press” broadcast itself, but during a separate NBC4 Washington segment. The network emphasized that Welker is a respected journalist who had reported accurately on Trump’s endorsement history, citing NBC’s own reporting on the subject.

ABC, CBS, and CNN have all been mentioned in Trump’s post as “crooked” by name. While the networks have not issued statements in this particular exchange, their inclusion underscores the broader media criticism Trump has faced over his endorsement track record.

Brian Stelter calls out Trump’s tactics

CNN’s media analyst Brian Stelter weighed in on the situation on X. In a tweet, he wrote, “Trump is getting more explicit about weaponizing the FCC. This morning he said @kwelkernbc will be ‘reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment’ for saying something he didn’t like about his endorsement record. (By law, the FCC can’t punish Welker.) And that’s not all.” Stelter’s comments highlight the legal constraints on the FCC’s ability to discipline a broadcaster for a single on-air remark.

The FCC’s role is to regulate individual broadcast stations, not networks like NBC. The agency’s policy on “broadcast news distortion” requires clear evidence that a statement was deliberately intended to mislead viewers, not merely an inaccuracy or a difference of opinion. “Deliberate distortion” is the threshold that must be crossed before the FCC can impose penalties, according to the commission’s published guidelines.

The potential implications

While the FCC has yet to comment on Trump’s threat, the commission’s previous statements suggest that a