Headline Roundup • February 9th, 2026
Trump Endorses Nexstar-Tegna Merger
Summary from the AllSides News Team
President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social in favor of the Nexstar-Tegna media merger, a consolidation he had previously disapproved of.
The Details: Nexstar, which owns or partners with over 200 news stations across the country, proposed an acquisition of Tegna's 64 stations in August 2025. This merger, if completed, would mean Nexstar owned news stations covering about 80% of the country. According to Newsmax (Right bias), Nexstar would have "more stations than ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox combined" after the deal.
For Context: In November, Trump criticized the merger, saying, "If this would also allow the Radical Left Networks to 'enlarge,' I would not be happy." Under current Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules, a company is prohibited from owning broadcast stations that reach more than 39% of U.S. households. The FCC would have to lift this rule in order for Nexstar to complete the acquisition.
Key Quotes: Trump wrote on Truth Social, "We need more competition against THE ENEMY, the Fake News National TV Networks." He urged the companies to "GET THAT DEAL DONE!"
Opposition: Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy said, "The Nexstar deal means dangerous consolidation that will limit competition, harm conservative voices and dramatically increase consumer cable bills." Newsmax also reported on a poll conducted by Public Opinion Strategies that found that 68% of Republicans surveyed opposed the Nexstar merger. Newsmax reported that "the poll also indicated these voters fear large media mergers as a threat to fair debate, local coverage, and consumer costs."
How the Media Covered It: Outlets on the left emphasized Trump's change in position on the merger and highlighted its implications for smaller news outlets. Politico (Lean Left) published the headline, "Trump strains conservative media alliances in push for Nexstar-Tegna merger." Reuters (Center) included a quote from Ted Cruz, who is on the committee that will review the FCC rules, saying the hearing would be "an important opportunity to discuss whether existing rules are legally sound, antiquated, or need to be updated to promote competition and protect against corporate censorship against conservatives."
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Featured Coverage of this Story
President Donald Trump on Saturday urged federal authorities to complete a proposed $6.2 billion merger between media companies Nexstar and Tegna, his latest effort to exert greater influence over the American media landscape and one that's already ticked off a key conservative media company opposed to the deal.
An agreement between the two companies would violate a rule from the Federal Communications Commission limiting how many television stations a single company can operate. Still, Trump cast it as critical for fighting his opponents in the national news arena.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday publicly backed a proposed merger between local television station operator Nexstar Media and its smaller rival Tegna.
"We need more competition against THE ENEMY, the Fake News National TV Networks," Trump wrote in a social media post. "GET THAT DEAL DONE!"
Nexstar last year proposed a $3.54 billion acquisition of Tegna that would make the combined entity the largest U.S. regional TV station operator, with more leverage with advertisers and pay-TV distributors. Local media is grappling with falling revenue and subscriber loss because of...
Dreamstime
A new national survey of Republican primary voters finds overwhelming opposition to the proposed Nexstar–Tegna merger and deep resistance to further consolidation of television stations under large corporate ownership.
The poll, conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, found base Republican voters place a high value on local television news and strongly prefer locally owned stations.
The poll also indicated these voters fear large media mergers as a threat to fair debate, local coverage, and consumer costs. (Surveyed 800 Republican primary voters nationwide, between Jan. 31 and Feb. 4, 2026. Margin of...
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