Trump Campaign’s Threat on TV Licenses May Be Mostly Bluster

  • Broadcasters in battleground states told to stop using ad
  • Trump appoints members at FCC which controls TV licenses
Donald Trump during a news conference at the White House on March 25.Photographer: Sarah Silbiger/UPI
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

The Trump re-election campaign told TV stations they could lose their operating licenses for airing an ad criticizing the president’s actions in the coronavirus crisis -- a challenge that may be more bluster than actual threat.

President Donald Trump’s campaign, in a letter on Wednesday, told stations in five battleground states to stop showing the ad from Priorities USA, a political action committee that supports Democratic candidate Joe Biden.