President Donald Trump has urged that MSNBC be stripped of its broadcasting privileges. This comes amidst his ongoing $10 billion lawsuit against CBS, which is affecting a significant media merger.
On his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump shared his opinion about MSNBC, “MSDNC is even worse than CNN. They shouldn’t have a right to broadcast — Only in America!”
Trump’s lawsuit against CBS relates to its “60 Minutes” interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. The legal action is causing complications for Paramount Global’s proposed $8 billion merger with Skydance Media. The lawsuit alleges that CBS was involved in “partisan and unlawful acts of election and voter interference through malicious, deceptive, and substantial news distortion” in its editing of the interview about Israel.
CBS responded to the allegations by stating that the interview was edited due to the constraints of time, and denied any malicious intent. The network then released the unedited version of the interview on its YouTube channel.
The impact of the lawsuit extends beyond legal boundaries. The incoming Federal Communications Commission Chair, Brendan Carr, has warned Paramount executives that the merger review process may be complicated by Trump’s disapproval of CBS, as per Wall Street Journal reports.
Under regulatory pressure, Paramount is contemplating settling the lawsuit to simplify merger approval. The company is reportedly examining ways to reduce friction with the incoming administration.
The merger would result in the transfer of control of 28 CBS Television Network stations, one Class A television broadcast station, and two low-power television translator stations from the Redstone family’s National Amusements to companies controlled by Larry and David Ellison.
Larry Ellison recently visited the White House with Trump for the Stargate AI infrastructure project, a strategic maneuver believed to facilitate regulatory approval for the merger. However, the deal is under further scrutiny due to Tencent, a Chinese company, holding a minority stake in Skydance. This has attracted attention from the House China Select Committee. Despite a higher bid for Paramount from a consortium led by Daphna Ziman, the company remains committed to its deal with Skydance.
Trump’s critique of MSNBC comes at a time when the network’s ratings have seen some fluctuations. Despite an initial decline post Trump’s re-election, MSNBC bounced back to secure the third most-watched basic cable network slot during primetime in early January, as per Adweek.
The co-hosts of the network’s Morning Joe, who initially tried a softer approach towards Trump coverage post his re-election, have criticized his pardoning of Capitol riot participants. On the other hand, Rachel Maddow has resumed hosting five nights a week during Trump’s first 100 days in office, while Joy Reid, an ex-Daily Beast columnist, has mocked Trump’s extravagant inauguration benediction.
This isn’t the first time Trump has tried to challenge media licenses. In October, he demanded that CBS surrender its broadcast license due to the Harris interview. He labeled it an “UNPRECEDENTED SCANDAL” and “FAKE NEWS SCAM, which is totally illegal,” on Truth Social, calling for the revoking of CBS’ license.
Trump’s lawsuit against CBS has been criticized by legal experts as “frivolous and dangerous.” The case was filed in the US District Court in the Northern District of Texas, where cases in its Amarillo Division are automatically assigned to a Trump-appointed judge, raising “judge shopping” concerns.
