PoliticsDonald Trump Wants Kristen Welker Reported to the FCC For 'Rebuke and Punishment' as NBC News Calls 'Meet the Press' Star 'Best in the Business'
Donald Trump called for Kristen Welker to face Federal Communications Commission (FCC) punishment over her remarks.
Sept. 6 2026, Published 8:11 a.m. ET
President Donald Trump wants a journalist punished by the Federal Communications Commission over two words.
In an August 30 Truth Social post, Trump accused Meet the Press host Kristen Welker of falsely claiming he'd had "mixed results" on his candidate endorsements, calling it "purposeful inaccuracy" and declaring: "she will be reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment."
He went further, branding the comment a "Threat to our Country" and calling on FCC Chairman Brendan Carr to intervene.
The Moment That Set Him Off
NBC defended Kristen Welker after Donald Trump targeted her in a Truth Social post.
It turns out that Welker never made that comment on Meet the Press.
She made the "mixed results" remark during a live shot on NBC's D.C. local affiliate ahead of the broadcast, where she also noted his endorsement of Sen. Darline Graham had succeeded.
NBC News defended her in a statement: "Kristen is one of the best in the business and we stand by her."
The Actual Endorsement Record
Donald Trump’s endorsement record faced scrutiny despite his claims of historic success.
Trump insisted his endorsement success is "without question, the strongest Endorsement in the History of Politics," pointing to wins by Graham and Mike Mazzei.
But the record is, in fact, mixed: Reps. Cory Mills and Andy Ogles both lost their races this cycle, and Trump-backed gubernatorial candidates Mike Lindell, Megan Degenfelder and Randy Feenstra all fell short.
Trump also claimed Graham's primary win was barely covered by the press, despite it being widely reported by national and South Carolina outlets alike.
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Not His First Clash With Welker
The clash marked another chapter in Donald Trump’s long-running feud with Kristen Welker.
This isn't Trump's first blowup at Welker.
In June, he cut short an interview with her in Wisconsin after she questioned his unsubstantiated "crooked" election claims, and he criticized her last year over a separate interview involving a Pentagon war-plans leak.
The president accused the ‘Meet the Press’ host of spreading ‘purposeful inaccuracy.’
Welker also isn't the only journalist in Trump's crosshairs. He's recently gone after The New York Times' Maggie Haberman, CNN's Kaitlan Collins and Fox News' Shannon Bream, while the White House's "rapid response" account personally attacked CNN's Kristen Holmes after she pressed him at a press conference.
The FCC, meanwhile, is already reviewing eight ABC station licenses at Carr's direction. Disney and ABC are fighting the move in court, arguing they're being punished for protected speech.
