Trump Threatens to Shut Down MSNBC

Amidst his ongoing $10 billion litigation against CBS, former President Donald Trump has called for MSNBC to be stripped of its broadcasting rights.

On his Truth Social platform, Trump stated: “MSDNC is even worse than CNN. They shouldn’t have a right to broadcast — Only in America!”

The heated words coincide with Trump’s lawsuit against CBS, stemming from a “60 Minutes” interview featuring former Vice President Kamala Harris. The lawsuit, alleging “partisan and unlawful acts of election and voter interference through malicious, deceptive, and substantial news distortion” in the editing of the interview, has become a thorn in the side of Paramount Global’s intended $8 billion merger with Skydance Media.

CBS has refuted the allegations, asserting that the interview was edited due to time limitations and that any insinuations of malicious intent are “entirely unfounded.” The unedited interview has since been made available on CBS’s YouTube channel.

The lawsuit’s implications are far-reaching. The incoming Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr has reportedly cautioned Paramount executives that Trump’s disapproval of CBS could hinder the merger review process, as per the Wall Street Journal.

This regulatory pressure has prompted Paramount to consider settling the lawsuit to smooth the path for merger approval. Insiders report that the company is exploring strategies to “reduce friction with the incoming administration.”

The merger, if successful, would transfer ownership 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 Larry and David Ellison’s companies.

Larry Ellison’s recent visit to the White House alongside Trump for the Stargate AI infrastructure project is seen as a strategic maneuver to facilitate regulatory approval for the merger. The deal has attracted additional scrutiny due to Tencent, a Chinese company, holding a minority stake in Skydance. This has caught the attention of the House China Select Committee. A consortium led by Daphna Ziman is readying a higher bid for Paramount, but the company remains tied to its agreement with Skydance.

Trump’s critique of MSNBC comes at a time when the network’s ratings have been inconsistent. After a slump following Trump’s re-election, MSNBC bounced back to rank third in the most-watched basic cable network during primetime in early January, as per Adweek. 

The Morning Joe co-hosts on the network, who had initially adopted a more conciliatory stance towards Trump coverage following his re-election, have now criticized his pardoning of Capitol riot participants. Concurrently, Rachel Maddow has resumed hosting five nights per week during Trump’s first 100 days in office, and Joy Reid, a former Daily Beast columnist, has already poked fun at Trump’s “over the top” and “performative” inauguration benediction.

This isn’t the first time Trump has sought to challenge media licenses. In October, he demanded that CBS be stripped of its broadcasting license over the Harris interview, branding it an “UNPRECEDENTED SCANDAL” and “FAKE NEWS SCAM, which is totally illegal.” He stated on Truth Social: “TAKE AWAY THE CBS LICENSE.”

Legal experts have denounced Trump’s lawsuit against CBS as “frivolous and dangerous.” The case was lodged 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 concerns about potential “judge shopping.”

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