{"id":1718,"date":"2026-08-31T16:44:48","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T16:44:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1718"},"modified":"2026-08-31T16:44:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T16:44:48","slug":"trump-calls-on-fcc-to-punish-news-orgs-that-publish-his-bad-polling-numbers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1718","title":{"rendered":"Trump Calls on FCC to Punish News Orgs That Publish His Bad Polling Numbers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<!-- begin partial\/series-card --><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><i><span>Honest, paywall-free news is rare. Please support our boldly independent journalism with <\/span><\/i><i><span>a donation<\/span><\/i><i><span> of any size.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1716\">Free Speech Groups Sound Alarm on \u201cRed Scare\u201d Repression of ICE Watch Activists<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In Truth Social posts on Sunday, President Donald Trump threatened to use the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to target broadcasters and journalists whose reporting on him he dislikes.<\/p>\n<p>In one of his posts, Trump suggested that news agencies should face repercussions for publishing polling data showing that he has a low approval rating.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTHE FAKE POLLS USED BY OUR CROOKED MEDIA ARE OUT OF CONTROL, AND SOMETHING MUST BE DONE ABOUT IT,\u201d Trump wrote. \u201cFCC TO THE RESCUE!\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s post made no references to \u201creal\u201d polls he thinks accurately portray his current approval ratings. An average of polling data compiled by <em>RealClearPolling<\/em>shows that, as of Sunday evening, Trump averages near 39.9 percent approval, while 56.7 percent of the U.S. public disapproves of him. Other surveys have demonstrated a consistently lower mark, with  showing his approval rating at just 36 percent, a <em>CNN<\/em>\/SSRS poll from late last month demonstrating 34 percent approval, and a <em>Reuters<\/em>\/Ipsos poll from last week finding just 33 percent approval.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has repeatedly disputed his low polling numbers without offering evidence to support his claims. On August 8, for example, Trump merely posted that he had \u201cgreat poll numbers,\u201d but didn\u2019t provide a link or the name of any poll.<\/p>\n<p>In another post, Trump directly attacked Kristen Welker, host of <em>NBC News\u2019s <\/em>\u201cMeet the Press\u201d program, after she correctly pointed out that Trump\u2019s record on selecting Republican primary candidates was \u201cmixed.\u201d While Trump\u2019s picks were mostly winners, at least six candidates he endorsed lost in their races this election season.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKristen Welker, the Unpopular \u201cHostess\u201d of the once great Meet the Press, now considered Meet the Fake Press, just stated that Donald Trump has \u2018mixed results\u2019 on his Endorsements of Candidates. \u2026 How can anyone be allowed to say this, working for freely given Public Airwaves?\u201d Trump wrote on Truth Social in response to Welker\u2019s comments on a local Washington, D.C. station.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause of this purposeful inaccuracy, she will be reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1714\">Trump Administration Reportedly Nearing Deal to Take Over Venezuelan Oil Fields<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The FCC has limited power to regulate \u2014 or \u201cpunish,\u201d as Trump puts it \u2014 the kind of reporting he railed against in his Sunday posts. However, FCC chair Brendan Carr has repeatedly attacked media companies after Trump has complained about them. <\/p>\n<p>In March, for example, Carr threatened to retaliate against broadcasters who promote supposed \u201choaxes and news distortions\u201d on the Iran war, shortly after Trump issued a similar rant on Truth Social. In April, Carr demanded a review of all local <em>ABC <\/em>station licenses following Trump\u2019s complaints about jokes being made at his expense by late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel. <\/p>\n<p>Anna Gomez, the lone Democratic-appointed member of the FCC, blasted Trump\u2019s demands in a post on X on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe FCC has no authority to punish journalists this administration doesn\u2019t like. These threats to press freedom are dangerous,\u201d Gomez said. \u201cThey undermine the foundation of our democracy, and they have no place in it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Other commentators have also weighed in on Trump\u2019s posts. <\/p>\n<p>\u201c[Trump] makes clear that he thinks it\u2019s the government\u2019s role to go after journalists who anger him,\u201d <em>New York Times <\/em>chief White House correspondent Peter Baker noted. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump\u2019s response is striking: rather than simply dispute Welker\u2019s characterization, he is calling for a federal regulator to investigate and potentially punish a journalist over unfavorable political commentary,\u201d <em>Meidas News <\/em>contributor J.D. Wolf said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump invoked Carr\u2019s name, complimented the \u2018fine people\u2019 of the FCC, and said he hopes the commission will \u2018take this Threat to our Country very seriously.\u2019 <em>ABC <\/em>is already in court fighting the FCC\u2019s unprecedented actions; it\u2019s reasonable to think <em>NBC <\/em>will be targeted next,\u201d <em>CNN <\/em>media analyst Brian Stelter said. <\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1712\">Texas Prosecutor Will Take Houston ICE Killing Case to Grand Jury<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump said that \u201cSOMETHING MUST BE DONE\u201d about polls showing his strong disapproval ratings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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