A campaign of government coercion against media through broadcast license threats from the president and FCC chair, forced cancellation of a television show, pressure to remove apps, and demands that platforms suppress immigration-related content.
In August 2025, Trump called for the FCC to revoke broadcast licenses of ABC and NBC for being 'two of the worst and most biased networks in history.' FCC Chairman Brendan Carr supported the call.
In September 2025, Trump said networks covering him negatively should 'maybe' have their licenses revoked, adding such decisions 'would be up to' Carr.
A systematic pattern of press freedom violations including the arrest of journalists covering immigration enforcement, the deportation of a journalist to the country he fled due to death threats, and the detention of reporters in foreign countries covering US deportation operations.
Don Lemon was arrested on January 30, 2026 on federal charges related to covering an ICE-connected church protest -- widely condemned as a First Amendment violation.
Mario Guevara, a Spanish-language journalist, was deported on October 3, 2025 to El Salvador -- the country he had fled in 2004 due to death threats for his journalism.