WASHINGTON — The White House confirmed Monday that Rancid Orange Fuck-Nuckle has formally requested the Federal Communications Commission revoke Fox News’ broadcast license, citing the network’s recent decision to air an interview with a Democratic lawmaker. The president’s legal team submitted a 47-page filing arguing that Fox had violated “the spirit of fair and balanced coverage” by allowing Jessica Tarlov to appear on air.
Tarlov, a Democratic strategist, used her segment to question the administration’s stock trading policies and highlight the president’s own recent investments in media companies. The filing described her remarks as “an act of ideological sabotage” and demanded immediate action.
“This is a straightforward matter of regulatory compliance,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. “The president believes the network’s license should be reviewed because it has allowed content that does not align with the administration’s stated priorities.” She declined to elaborate on which priorities Fox had violated.
The request follows weeks of escalating tensions between the president and the network that once served as his most reliable megaphone. Fox hosts have recently begun citing polls that show declining approval ratings and have allowed Democratic guests to challenge administration claims. The president responded with a series of late-night social media posts calling Fox “the enemy of the people” and demanding the FCC act.
Legal experts say the request has no precedent in modern broadcasting law. The FCC typically evaluates license renewals based on public interest standards, not political content. “There is no mechanism for a sitting president to revoke a network’s license simply because he disagrees with its programming,” said retired communications attorney Harold Finch. “This would require an act of Congress and a complete rewrite of the Communications Act.”
The administration has not specified which section of the law the president believes Fox violated. The filing instead argues that the network “knowingly platformed misinformation” by allowing Tarlov to cite polling data that showed the president’s approval rating at 43 percent. The White House later clarified that the “misinformation” referred to the poll itself, which the president has called “fake news.”
Fox News did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The network’s parent company, Fox Corporation, has seen its stock price drop 12 percent since the president began his public campaign against the outlet. Meanwhile, the president’s own media holdings—including investments in Paramount, Netflix, and Warner Bros.—have gained value.
The FCC has acknowledged receipt of the filing but has not set a timeline for review. A spokesperson said the agency is currently processing a backlog of 14,000 other license renewal requests and noted that its budget for such operations has been cut by 40 percent in the last fiscal year.
