NBC News is sticking up for Kristen Welker.
The network issued a defense of the "Meet the Press" moderator after President Donald Trump, in a social media post, threatened to report her to the Federal Communications Commission due to comments she made about his political endorsement record.
"Kristen is one of the best in the business and we stand by her," a spokesperson for NBC News said in a statement shared with USA TODAY.
In an Aug. 30 Truth Social post, Trump criticized Welker for saying, on a local affiliate, that he has had "some mixed results" in his primary endorsements. The president lambasted Welker, alleging the comment was a "purposeful inaccuracy," and he claimed that she will "reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment."
Trump's
endorsed candidates have almost all won their Republican primaries in 2026, but he has also backed a number of losing candidates, including Florida Rep. Cory Mills, Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles, Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette.
In her original comments, Welker observed that Trump would "loom large" over the upcoming midterm elections and said that while he has had "some mixed results" in primary endorsements, he had recently helped South Carolina Sen. Darline Graham win a special runoff primary.
The FCC does not have much legal power to take action against Welker as an individual. The agency's website notes that it licenses "only individual broadcast stations," not TV or radio networks like NBC, and its "role in overseeing program content is very limited."
"Broadcasters – not the FCC or any other government agency – are responsible for selecting the material they air," the FCC website states. "The First Amendment and the Communications Act expressly prohibit the Commission from censoring broadcast matter."
This isn't the first time Trump has taken issue with Welker. In June, the president made headlines for walking out of an interview with Welker on "Meet the Press" after the journalist pressed him on unsubstantiated claims of election fraud in California.
At the time, Welker said that she spoke with Trump after the walk-out, and the president "agreed to sit down with me for another 'Meet the Press' interview."
Trump's threat against Welker drew criticism from FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden. In an X post, Gomez said the FCC "has no authority to punish journalists this administration doesn't like," adding, "These threats to press freedom are dangerous. They undermine the foundation of our democracy, and they have no place in it."
Gomez previously expressed support for Disney after the company sued the FCC over an alleged unconstitutional "retaliatory campaign." The suit, filed Aug. 18, was in response to an FCC order for the Disney-owned ABC to file television station license renewals ahead of schedule; the order was issued a day after Trump called for Disney and ABC to fire Jimmy Kimmel for jokingly calling first lady Melania Trump an "expectant widow." An FCC spokesperson accused Disney of waging an "ongoing campaign of disinformation."
Welker took over as host of NBC's "Meet the Press" after longtime host Chuck Todd departed the program in 2023.
MS Now journalist Peter Alexander, formerly of NBC News, came to Welker's defense on his show "State of Play" on Aug. 31. Calling Trump's comments his "latest assault on journalists," Alexander pointed out that the "FCC does not 'rebuke' or 'punish' individual journalists" and called Welker "one of the hardest working and best-sourced reporters around. I should know: She was my colleague and teammate for more than 15 years."
Contributing: Jay Stahl, BrieAnna J. Frank and Emily Condon, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBC News responds after Trump's FCC threat on Kristen Welker
