NBC News moderator Kristen Welker drew a demand for federal scrutiny after describing President Donald Trump’s primary endorsements as producing “mixed results.” Trump said Sunday that the “Meet the Press” host would be reported to the Federal Communications Commission for “rebuke or punishment.” He pointed to the overwhelming success of his endorsed Senate and House candidates. The FCC had not announced action against Welker as of Tuesday.
The dispute began during a live preview Welker gave on NBC4 Washington before the August 30th edition of “Meet the Press.” She was discussing Trump’s influence over the midterm elections and the performance of candidates he backed in Republican primaries. The disputed comment did not air during the Sunday program itself. Trump responded hours later in a Truth Social post naming both Welker and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr.
“He’s going to loom large over these midterms. There’s no doubt about that,” Welker said during the preview. “He, of course, has endorsed a slate of candidates in the primaries. He’s had some mixed results, but most recently, his pick of Senator Darline Graham, of course, the sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, was successful in her primary battle, so now she takes on Dr. Annie Andrews in South Carolina.”
As Trending Politics News reported, Trump rejected Welker’s description and pointed to the victories of Graham in South Carolina and Mike Mazzei in Oklahoma. “Kristen Welker, the Unpopular ‘Hostess’ of the once great Meet the Press, now considered Meet the Fake Press, just stated that Donald Trump has ‘mixed results’ on his Endorsements of Candidates,” Trump wrote. He said the recent wins stood alongside a “100%” Senate record and a “98%” House record.
Trump then challenged NBC’s use of the public airwaves and accused Welker of knowingly presenting an inaccurate picture. “How can anyone be allowed to say this, working for freely given Public Airwaves? Results are attached,” he wrote. “Because of this purposeful inaccuracy, she will be reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment. Unfortunately, she is not the only one.”
The available numbers explain Trump’s objection. A Fox News endorsement tracker counted wins by all 24 Trump-backed candidates in Republican Senate primaries and 214 of his 218 endorsed House candidates. His record in gubernatorial primaries was 16 wins in 21 races, including Mazzei’s narrow Oklahoma victory. Fox News reported that five Trump-backed gubernatorial candidates lost their primaries, although Welker did not specify which category of endorsements she meant when she described the results as mixed.
Trump broadened his criticism beyond Welker, saying news organizations were using a small number of losses to minimize his influence inside the Republican Party. He described his endorsement record as “without question, the strongest Endorsement in the History of Politics.” He then appealed directly to Carr, writing, “The Press is a Disgrace to our Nation, and I hope that Chairman Brendan Carr, and the fine people of his Commission, will take this Threat to our Country very seriously.”
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The FCC licenses individual broadcast stations, rather than national networks or individual journalists such as Welker. The commission’s news-distortion policy requires evidence that a licensee deliberately falsified or distorted a significant news event. A dispute over wording or an allegedly inaccurate statement generally does not meet that standard alone. Any complaint would therefore need documented evidence that a licensed station or its management intentionally falsified the news.
NBC News defended Welker after Trump’s post and gave no indication that it would discipline the moderator. Welker cited Graham’s victory immediately after using the phrase “mixed results.” The FCC did not immediately announce an investigation, sanction, or other proceeding involving Welker or the NBC station that carried the preview. “Kristen is one of the best in the business and we stand by her,” an NBC spokesperson said.
Watch CNN freak out over the matter here: