Trump administration, allies move to punish outlets during first weeks in office

In the first weeks of President Donald Trump’s second term, his appointees and allies in Congress took steps to punish and intimidate news outlets that have covered him and his administration unfavorably.

Congresswoman threatens PBS funding

On Jan. 20, 2025, just hours after Trump’s swearing-in, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene took to social media to attack PBS News for reporting that Trump appointee Elon Musk gave what appeared to be a fascist salute while speaking at the official post-inauguration celebration in Washington, D.C.

“As the Chairwoman of the Oversight Subcommittee on DOGE (Department of Government Oversight), I look forward to PBS @NewsHour coming before my committee and explaining why lying and spreading propaganda to serve the Democrat party and attack Republicans is a good use of taxpayer funds,” Greene posted. “We will be in touch soon.”

Congress provides indirect grant support to PBS, as well as NPR, through funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, appropriating $535 million for 2025. Trump’s first administration proposed eliminating all federal funding for PBS, and Trump made similar calls on social media in the lead-up to the 2024 election.

FCC chair reinstates, initiates complaints

Trump, through both his digital platforms and legal actions, targeted news outlets leading up to and in the wake of the election for reporting he argued was biased and aimed at swaying favor toward his opponent.

Now with Trump again in office, one of his appointees — Brendan Carr at the Federal Communications Commission — has picked up the baton.

NPR reported that, shortly before leaving office, then-FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel dismissed complaints about Kamala Harris’ appearances on CBS’s “60 Minutes” and NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” and about how ABC News moderated the debate between Trump and former President Joe Biden.

“We don’t have the luxury of doing anything other than making very, very clear that this agency and its licensing authority should not be weaponized in a way that is fundamentally at odds with the First Amendment,” Rosenworcel said. “This agency should not be the president’s speech police and this agency shouldn’t be journalism’s censor-in-chief.”

Rosenworcel also dismissed a complaint against a Philadelphia Fox station for allegedly promoting lies about election fraud in the 2020 election.

Carr, the new FCC chair, reinstated the complaints against ABC, CBS and NBC on Jan. 22. In a statement, the agency said that the complaints had been dismissed “prematurely based on an insufficient investigatory record,” according to The Guardian.

Carr had previously demonstrated his willingness to target news outlets based on alleged bias, and he has supported Trump’s calls for NBC, CBS and ABC to lose their broadcast licenses over their alleged mistreatment of him, NPR reported.

On Jan. 29, Carr also informed NPR and PBS that he had initiated an investigation into the news outlets, suggesting that they may have violated federal law by airing commercial advertisements. A copy of the letter was also shared with members of Congress, Carr wrote, because of its potential relevance to ongoing debates.

“In particular, Congress is actively considering whether to stop requiring taxpayers to subsidize NPR and PBS programming,” the letter read. “For my own part, I do not see a reason why Congress should continue sending taxpayer dollars to NPR and PBS given the changes in the media marketplace since the passage of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.”

Press secretary echoes media lie accusations

While Trump, in one of his first executive orders, extolled the importance of “restoring freedom of speech and ending federal censorship,” an attitude of hostility toward the press was also perpetuated by the White House itself.

Karoline Leavitt, in her first briefing as press secretary Jan. 28, pushed Trump’s allegations that outlets had deliberately lied in order to hurt his campaign and administration.

“We know for a fact that there have been lies that have been pushed by many legacy media outlets in this country about this president, about his family, and we will not accept that. We will call you out when we feel that your reporting is wrong, or there is misinformation about this White House,” Leavitt said. “So yes, I will hold myself to the truth and I expect everyone in this room to do the same.”

Leavitt also told reporters, “All of you once again have access to the most transparent and accessible president in American history.” But in what appears to be a snub to mainstream media, hard passes and access to the briefing room will also be extended to members of the “new media” — who Leavitt described as “independent journalists, podcasters, social media influencers and content creators” — as long as they are producing “legitimate news content.”

Leavitt did not respond directly to a question about how often she will be giving news briefings, which Trump halted during the second half of his first term, citing unfair media treatment.

“The president is the best spokesperson that this White House has,” Leavitt said, “and I can assure you that you will be hearing from both him and me as much as possible.”