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President Donald Trump escalated his war with the media Sunday night, targeting CBS News and its flagship program “60 Minutes”, calling for the network to lose its broadcast license following two segments he claims defamed him.
In a late-night post on Truth Social, Trump accused the network of airing “derogatory and defamatory” content and suggested that FCC Chairman Brendan Carr should impose maximum fines and punishment for what he called “unlawful and illegal behavior.”
“Almost every week, 60 Minutes … mentions the name ‘TRUMP’ in a derogatory and defamatory way,” Trump wrote. “But this Weekend’s ‘BROADCAST’ tops them all.”
Segments on Ukraine and Greenland Prompt Outrage
Trump’s anger was sparked by two stories aired on 60 Minutes this weekend:
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A report on Ukraine, in which President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized the spread of “Russian narratives” in the U.S. and urged Trump to visit Ukraine before making future diplomatic or military policy decisions.
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A segment on Greenland, in which Inuit leaders and local officials blasted Trump’s past proposal to purchase the territory, calling it “ugly” and disrespectful.
“We all noticed that in Greenland,” said Aqqaluk Lynge, an Inuit elder. “And it was ugly.”
Trump responded by defending his foreign policy vision and claiming the Russia-Ukraine war “would never have happened” had the 2020 election not been “rigged.”
Legal Battle with CBS Escalates
Trump is already in the midst of a $20 billion lawsuit against CBS’s parent company Paramount Global, stemming from a 2024 “60 Minutes” interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, which he claims was deceptively edited to favor his opponent in the presidential election.
Paramount has dismissed the lawsuit as “an affront to the First Amendment” and says it is “without basis in law or fact.” Mediation between Trump and the company is reportedly scheduled to begin soon, according to The New York Times.
FCC Action Unlikely Amid First Amendment Concerns
Trump’s demand that CBS lose its FCC broadcast license and face punitive financial penalties has raised alarm among First Amendment advocates, who argue that presidential interference with press licensing would represent a serious breach of constitutional protections.
While Trump praised FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who is one of the more conservative-leaning members of the commission, the FCC is an independent agency not subject to presidential control — and legal experts note that factual reporting and editorial opinion are protected speech.
Media, Legal Experts Push Back
Legal and media experts swiftly dismissed Trump’s threats as politically motivated and unlikely to succeed under existing law.
“There is no legal mechanism for the FCC to revoke a broadcast license for critical journalism — nor should there be,” said a professor of constitutional law at Georgetown University. “This is exactly what the First Amendment is designed to protect.”
CBS News has not yet responded to Trump’s Sunday night comments. The Hill reported that inquiries to the network remained unanswered as of Monday morning.
Bottom Line: Trump’s latest clash with the press reflects a deepening divide between the White House and major media organizations — and raises fresh concerns over freedom of the press, the weaponization of government agencies, and the ongoing legal battles between the president and mainstream news outlets.
