A former Philadelphia NBC10 anchor and reporter has been sharply criticized by President Donald Trump, who threatens sanctions against her.
Trump lashed out at "Meet the Press" moderator Kristen Welker, saying she will be reported to the Federal Communications Commission over her coverage of his endorsements ahead of the midterm elections.
"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, when the recent WINS of Darline Graham and Mike Mazzei, stand at 100% for the U.S. Senate, and 98% for the U.S. House," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Aug. 30.
Trump added: "Because of this purposeful inaccuracy,
she will be reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment. Unfortunately, she is not the only one."
NBC News told USA TODAY that "Kristen is one of the best in the business and we stand by her" in an Aug. 30 statement. Welker worked as a general assignment reporter and weekend anchor at NBC10 Philadelphia (WCAU-TV) from 2005 until 2010 before moving on to a national career with NBC News. She replaced Chuck Todd as host of "Meet the Press" in 2023.
Trump does have a strong 2026 endorsement record, but some candidates he supported lost recent primaries.
In Wyoming, Megan Degenfelder, who leads the state's department of public instruction, lost a Republican primary for governor. Florida Rep. Cory Mills lost his reelection bid as did Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles, a controversial House member. In Minnesota, longtime Trump ally and MyPillow founder Mike Lindell also lost a GOP primary for governor.
Despite Trump's post, the FCC doesn't have much legal power to take action against Welker as an individual, but his comments escalate his criticism of the journalist.
In early June, Trump made headlines when he abruptly exited a "Meet the Press" interview with Welker after a tense back-and-forth, when the NBC anchor pushed back on the president's comments about California election security.
FCC has become increasingly political, critics say
The FCC licenses individual broadcast stations, not national networks such as NBC and ABC. The agency’s website says both the First Amendment and Communications Act of 1934 prohibit it from censoring broadcast content and that its "role in overseeing program content is very limited."
FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, who then-President Joe Biden appointed in 2023, said in response to Trump's post that the agency "has no authority to punish journalists this administration doesn't like."
"These threats to press freedom are dangerous," her Aug. 30 X post said. "They undermine the foundation of our democracy, and they have no place in it."
Amid two separate FCC investigations into the Disney-owned ABC, Gomez urged Disney to "fight" what she called an FCC intent on "targeting an administration critic by mob rule."
Disney and ABC filed a lawsuit on Aug. 18 over what they called an unconstitutional "retaliatory campaign" against the network.
Critics say the FCC has become increasingly political during Trump's second term under the leadership of Brendan Carr, who Trump referenced in the Truth Social post as he wrote that "The Press is a Disgrace to our Nation."
Though its website had previously described the FCC as an "independent U.S. government agency overseen by Congress," Carr said in a December Senate hearing that the FCC was “not an independent agency formally speaking” because of the president’s power to fire commissioners. As of Aug. 30, the FCC website described it as a "U.S. government agency overseen by Congress."
Carr had not issued a public statement on the matter as of the afternoon of Aug. 30.
(This story has been updated with new information.)
Contributing: Emily Condon
BrieAnna Frank is a First Amendment reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at bjfrank@usatoday.com.
USA TODAY's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Trump says this former Philly NBC10 anchor will be reported to FCC
