Trump Demands CBS Be Pulled Off Air In Rage-Filled Rant Over Harris Interview

Donald Trump’s wrath over CBS News’ “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris continued into Thursday, now with him demanding the century-old network and all other TV news stations lose their broadcasting licenses.

CBS, Trump charged on social media, “should lose its license, and it should be bid out to the Highest Bidder, as should all other Broadcast Licenses, because they are just as corrupt as CBS — and maybe even WORSE!”

The network “has just created the Greatest Fraud in Broadcast History,” he said, referring to claims he made Wednesday that CBS heavily edited its recent interview with Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, to make her look “more Presidential” and conceal that she’s “virtually incoherent.”

Trump, who backed out of his “60 Minutes” interview at the last minute, claimed in a follow-up post that CBS is “A THREAT TO DEMOCRACY.” (He faces that same accusation, which is at the center of two of his criminal indictments.)

It’s conceivable that Trump, who has long had a fraught relationship with the press, could act on this threat if he wins back the White House next month. Experts have noted there’s an obscure provision in the 1934 Communications Act allowing presidents to shut down broadcasters in the interests of “national emergency” or “national security.”

This is hardly the first time Trump has lashed out at networks by making threats about their broadcasting licenses, which are given out by the Federal Communications Commission. Just last month, he called into Fox News, saying the FCC “ought to take away” ABC’s license for its handling of the September debate between him and Harris.

Jessica Rosenworcel, chairwoman of the FCC, released a statement dismissing Trump’s demands, saying, “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.”

Trump made the same demands about NBC and CNN earlier this year when they didn’t broadcast his full speech after winning Iowa’s caucuses. And while still president in 2018, he posted on social media: “I have long criticized NBC and their journalistic standards-worse than even CNN. Look at their license?”

His claims about the “60 Minutes” interview with Harris appear to stem from two different clips CBS has released of Harris answering the same question about Israel from host Bill Whitaker. One shows her giving a one-sentence response, while another shows her giving a lengthier answer that includes her response from the shorter clip. You can see the full transcripts here.

It’s not clear why two different versions were released or whether the footage was edited for length or clarity. Representatives for CBS did not respond to requests for comment.