Claim: The FCC fined ABC and NBC $25M each and CBS $10M for not airing President Trump’s July 16, 2026 speech.
Verdict: False. There is no evidence the FCC imposed those fines. ABC and NBC did not air the speech and CBS cut away after about 15 minutes; FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said non-broadcasting decisions could factor into license reviews, but the agency has not announced the fines described in the viral post.
The claim that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) imposed fines of $25 million each on ABC and NBC and $10 million on CBS for not airing President Donald Trump’s July 16, 2026 speech is false. There is no public record or credible news reporting that the agency has assessed or announced such monetary penalties.
A social-media post on X by the account @DougWahl1 on July 26, 2026 alleged that "Trump's FCC" fined ABC and NBC $25M each for refusing to carry the speech and fined CBS $10M for ending its coverage early. The post urged networks to pay and asked for public reaction.
ABC and NBC chose not to carry the prime-time address on July 16, 2026. CBS aired the speech but cut away after about 15 minutes to allow reporters and analysts to fact-check the speech’s central claims about election fraud. During the address, President Trump accused networks that didn’t air it of participating in a "plot" and suggested that their broadcast licenses should be revoked.
"In a rare move, NBC and ABC fake news have both said they would not cover this speech... Fraud like this should mean a revocation of their licenses." — Excerpt from the President's July 16 address
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr publicly commented about the incident on July 22, 2026, saying that broadcasters’ decisions not to carry the speech could be relevant in FCC reviews of station licenses. Carr said broadcasters should be mindful of their public-interest obligations when major speeches are delivered from the White House.
Importantly, the FCC issues licenses to individual broadcast stations, not to national networks. The agency opened an early review of licenses for eight ABC-owned stations; it has not announced comparable license reviews tied to NBC stations in this matter. There is no documented action showing the FCC has imposed the specific fines claimed on ABC, NBC or CBS.
Fact-checkers searched major news databases and the FCC’s public records and found no evidence supporting the asserted fines. News outlet Lead Stories contacted the FCC and did not immediately receive confirmation that any fines had been issued.
While there have been public threats and suggestions from political figures and FCC leadership about reviewing station licenses, the viral claim that the FCC levied $25 million fines against ABC and NBC and $10 million against CBS for actions related to the July 16, 2026 speech is unsubstantiated and false.
Sources: Statements from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr; searches of major news outlets and FCC public records; reporting by Lead Stories.
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