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Headline Roundup August 31st, 2026

Trump Calls For FCC to Investigate NBC's Kristen Welker

Summary from the AllSides News Team

President Trump said NBC host Kristen Welker "will be reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment" for "purposeful inaccuracy" on Sunday after she said he had "mixed results" with candidates he's endorsed in primary elections.

Key Quotes: The Meet the Press host said during a live broadcast for a local DC affiliate that Trump "is going to loom large over these midterms." She added, "He, of course, has endorsed a slate of candidates in the primaries. He's had some mixed results." Trump claimed his endorsements "stand at 100% for the U.S. Senate, and 98% for the U.S. House, recently and over the longterm." He added, "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." On Monday, NBC told several news outlets, "Kristen is one of the best in the business and we stand by her."

For Context: According to Ballotpedia, so far in 2026 primary elections, President Trump has a 96% success rate. Last week, a USA Today (Lean Left bias) data analysis reached a similar conclusion, and a Fox News (Right) analysis found Trump had a 100% Senate success rate and 98% House success rate. Earlier in August, NBC News (Lean Left) published an analysis that said Trump's endorsement record had "taken a notable hit" in August. Fox News noted that for something to be qualified as "news distortion," FCC policy requires proof that the report was "deliberately distorted."

RELATED: FCC Head Carr Says News Broadcasters Could Lose Licenses if They Don't 'Correct Course' | AllSides

FCC Context: Brendan Carr, the head of the FCC, was appointed by Trump in 2017 and served as one of the FCC's Republican commissioners during the Biden administration until Trump made him chairman after his 2024 presidential victory. In March, Carr threatened not to renew several news broadcasters' licenses unless they "correct[ed] course" on their coverage of the Iran war. On August 18, Disney, the parent of ABC News (Lean Left) and ESPN (Lean Left), sued the FCC for reviewing its broadcast licenses two years before their expiration.

Previous Tiff: In June, Trump abruptly walked out of a Meet the Press interview with Welker after the two got into a disagreement about the integrity of the 2020 presidential election and California's recent elections. At the time, Trump said, "It was raining and it was with NBC fake news. And because it was raining, I got a little bit angry at them." Welker said she spoke with Trump afterward and that they "both acknowledged the complications during the interview posed by the rain."

RELATED: Trump Ends 'Crooked' Interview with NBC's 'Meet the Press' | AllSides

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Featured Coverage of this Story

NBC News responds after Trump's FCC threat on Kristen Welker
News

NBC News is sticking up for Kristen Welker.

The network issued a defense of the "Meet the Press" moderator after President Donald Trump, in a social media post, threatened to report her to the Federal Communications Commission due to comments she made about his political endorsement record.

Open on USA TODAY
Trump hits out at NBC journalist Kristen Welker, calling for her to face 'rebuke or punishment'
News

US President Donald Trump lashed out at NBC journalist Kristen Welker on Sunday, threatening to report her to the FCC "for rebuke or punishment" over coverage of his candidate endorsements.

"The Unpopular "Hostess" of the once great Meet the Press, now considered Meet the Fake Press, just stated that Donald Trump has 'mixed results' on his Endorsements of Candidates," Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social account.

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

Adam Bettcher/NBC via Getty Images

News

President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that NBC's "Meet the Press" host Kristen Welker would be reported to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for potential punishment after she characterized his primary endorsement record as producing mixed results.

"Kristen Welker, the Unpopular 'Hostess' of the once great Meet the Press, now considered Meet the Fake Press, just stated that Donald Trump has 'mixed results' on his Endorsements of Candidates, when the recent WINS of Darline Graham and Mike Mazzei, stand at 100% for the U.S. Senate, and 98% for the U.S....

Open on Fox News Digital

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