We don’t tickle Donald Trump with pointed questions. The American president even threatened to revoke the broadcasting license of the ABC television channel because a journalist’s question from the media did not please him. But what can it actually do and what are the possibilities?
The scene occurred this Tuesday at a reception for the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salmane. ABC journalist Mary Bruce first started by asking multiple questions that berated the host. The reporter actually questioned Donald Trump about possible conflicts of interest due to the business he personally conducted with Saudi Arabia while he was president of the United States.
ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce asked Pres. Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the anger expressed by 9/11 families over the visit due to Saudi Arabia’s alleged role. https://t.co/7fVh09CzQI pic.twitter.com/dukVdO8xI7
— ABC News (@ABC) November 19, 2025
He also questioned Mohammed bin Salman about his responsibility in the murder of a journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, in 2018. Donald Trump did not appreciate it. “You don’t need to make our guests uncomfortable by asking questions like that,” the White House tenant shot back with a black eye.
A little later, the journalist tried his luck again on another topic: the Epstein affair. “You know, it’s not the question that bothers me, it’s your attitude,” Donald Trump responded. I think you are a poor journalist. You start by asking a respectable man in a disobedient and obnoxious tone, when you could ask the same question politely. You seem excited. Someone has conditioned you to ABC. »
Reporter: Mr. President, why wait for Congress to release the Epstein files? Why not just do it now?
Trump: That’s not the question I’m thinking about. That’s your stance… I think the license should be revoked from ABC. We have a great commissioner, a chairman who has to oversee… pic.twitter.com/rSPG2m9EK4
– Acyn (@Acyn) November 18, 2025
The President of the United States then started with a response but slightly changed the subject and the journalist tried to get back to basics: “why didn’t you publish the Epstein file without waiting for Congress to vote?” Donald Trump then felt embarrassed when faced with his responsibilities.
Trump: ‘ABC license should be revoked’
“I think the broadcasting license should be revoked from ABC because your information is completely false and untrue. We have a great chairman at the FCC (Editor’s Note: The Federal Communications Commission, headed by Brendan Carr, was appointed by Trump) who should look into this, because when I see you are 97% hostile to Trump, and then Trump wins the election, that means your information is not trustworthy. »
As is often the case with Donald Trump, the more relevant and fair the question asked, the more scathing the answer. Shows of force are always used as a way to not answer questions and provide a warning to other journalists who might also be thinking about confronting the president.
ABC, owned by Walt Disney, is one of the most watched channels in the United States. Revoking broadcasting rights from this media will have bomb consequences. Can Donald Trump really do it? This is not the first time Donald Trump has attacked the channel. In recent months, he has repeatedly threatened to revoke his broadcasting license, often after being asked questions he deemed objectionable.
He also sued ABC News for defamation last year; the channel paid $16 million to settle the case: it talked about rape in the E. Jean Carroll affair while Trump was convicted of sexual assault. Jimmy Kimmel, who once went off the air for claiming on his talk show that the Trump administration was exploiting the murder of Charlie Kirk, was also on ABC.
These threats appear serious but not new, and more importantly, they appear technically and legally very difficult to implement. In fact, the FCC did not issue a license to ABC or any other national TV channel. They only issue licenses to local operators who host these channels on their network. It would be very complicated for the FCC to go after a network, especially since ABC always has the opportunity to avoid this action by being hosted by another network.
Freedom of the press is also protected by the First Amendment, which deals with freedom of expression. But after Charlie Kirk’s murder, this right was easily undermined and proved much more fragile than anyone thought.
Decisions are taken in a commission consisting of five members, affiliated with one party. A political camp may not have more than three members on this commission. Currently, Republicans hold two seats, one Democratic seat, and two others are vacant. The term of President Brendan Carr, who is close to Trump, will end in 2028.
