ABC ‘fighting back’, urging US public to defend stations amid FCC scrutiny

Published 24 June 2026 · us

Trump has intensified criticism of ABC, alleging bias and threatening lawsuits over the network’s recent coverage. Disney-owned ABC and United States President Donald Trump are

Trump has intensified criticism of ABC, alleging bias and threatening lawsuits over the network’s recent coverage. Disney-owned ABC and United States President Donald Trump are once again at odds, as the network has launched an on-air campaign urging viewers to support its local stations amid mounting pressure from the White House, a move applauded by press freedom advocates. As part of the campaign, local stations, including New York’s WABC — the network’s largest owned-and-operated station — have encouraged viewers to voice their concerns during a public comment period that ends on July 29. Other stations, including Houston’s KTRK, have posted similar calls to action on their websites. That comes on the heels of a move in April when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ordered ABC to file early licence renewals for its eight local television stations. In addition to Houston and New York, the affected stations serve markets including San Francisco, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The FCC uses licence renewals to determine whether stations have served the public interest. Free speech advocates argue the agency’s move is designed to appease Trump by targeting a perceived political adversary. “[FCC Chairman Brenden] Carr’s open support of Trump’s efforts to reshape and silence ABC taints any claim by his FCC to be calling balls and strikes when investigating ABC or its programming,” Seth Stern, director of advocacy for the Freedom of the Press Foundation, told Al Jazeera in written remarks.

“No matter what pretexts the FCC cites, anyone with a smidgen of common sense knows exactly what is going on – an FCC led by a man who has publicly disclaimed independence from Trump is using its authority both frivolously and selectively to do Trump’s bidding.” In May, dissenting FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez sent a letter to Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro warning about what she described as “the weaponization of the FCC’s authority as a federal regulator”. “Using the licences of individual local stations as leverage against a parent company is an extraordinary and dangerous misapplication of this agency’s authority,” Gomez wrote. Gomez did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment. As Gomez noted in her letter, many of the stations in question are not scheduled for review for another five years. Last month, ABC argued that the administration’s actions violate the network’s First Amendment rights. “It’s great to see ABC fighting back against these abuses of power. It is clearer than ever that capitulating to Trump earns nothing but inviting more attacks,” Stern said. The campaign comes amid escalating pressure from Trump, who recently used his social media platform, Truth Social, to criticise ABC News over its coverage of renovations to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the Mall and allegations of vandalism. On June 18, ABC News Chief Political Correspondent Jonathan Karl highlighted blue paint peeling from the bottom of the Reflecting Pool during a report.