Posted in: ABC, Opinion, TV, TV | Tagged: ABC, donald trump, kamala harris
FCC Won't Pull ABC Network License Despite Donald Trump's Rants
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel made it clear to Donald Trump that ABC's license isn't being pulled over his debate with VP Kamala Harris.
It's one thing to get your ass handed to you so badly that you instantly start blaming the moderators. But ex-reality show host, multi-impeached ex-POTUS, and convicted felon Donald Trump was used and abused so badly by Vice President Kamala Harris so badly during their debate on September 10th that he wants the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to "take away" ABC's license to broadcast. We're honestly surprised that he didn't petition the FCC to officially make all copies of the debate just go away and pretend like it never happened. Just to be clear? Moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis did their jobs as journalists by fact-checking nonsense about babies being murdered after nine months and the lies he spread about the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio – but based on what Trump has to say on FOX "News" and other bastions of propaganda, you would think that the truth was something that should've been negotiated on before the debates started.
Well, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel had an official response for Trump earlier today – one that was addressed in a letter to Sens. Democratic Sens. Ed Markey and Ron Wyden, who messaged all five FCC commissioners to ask them to "make licensing determinations objectively and in a manner that upholds the First Amendment." It's a response that he's not going to like.
"The First Amendment is a cornerstone of our democracy. The Commission does not revoke licenses for broadcast stations simply because a political candidate disagrees with or dislikes content or coverage. Our job at the agency is to license broadcast stations in a manner consistent with the Constitution and the Communications Act of 1934, as well as the rules and policies we have adopted pursuant to these laws. There are no exceptions," Rosenworcel wrote, shutting down Trump's request.
Based on the ratings for the Harris/Trump debate, we could understand why Trump would be feeling triggered – 67.135 million viewers tuned in across multiple networks, led by ABC News, a 31% jump from Trump's June debate against President Joseph Biden on CNN (51.266 million viewers).