President Donald Trump is calling for federal regulators to punish an NBC journalist he says lied about his political endorsement record on the public airwaves.
The target: Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker, whom Trump accused of deliberately misrepresenting his near-perfect success rate backing candidates in the 2026 primaries. The president announced Sunday he would report Welker to the Federal Communications Commission for “rebuke or punishment.”
“How can anyone be allowed to say this, working for freely given Public Airwaves?” Trump demanded in a Truth Social post, sharing data on his actual endorsement wins.
The controversy stems from a comment Welker made during a pre-show appearance on WRC-TV, NBC’s local Washington affiliate, where she claimed Trump had “mixed results” with his endorsements. That characterization doesn’t square with the numbers. Trump’s endorsed candidates have won 100% of their 2026 Senate primary races and 98% of House contests.
Trump didn’t hold back in his criticism, dubbing the veteran journalist the “Unpopular ‘Hostess’ of the once great Meet the Press, now considered Meet the Fake Press.”
The president pointed to Senator Darline Graham of South Carolina as proof of his endorsement power. Graham, whom Trump selected as his first choice to fill the seat left vacant by her late brother, Senator Lindsey Graham, wasn’t expected to win before Trump threw his weight behind her campaign.
“Darline Graham’s run for the Senate was the biggest story in all of Politics, because she wasn’t expected to win, and then, when I Endorsed her, and she easily won, the story of her Victory was hardly covered by anybody,” Trump wrote.
He also cited the Oklahoma governor’s race, where his endorsed candidate overcame poor polling to secure victory, only to see the media largely ignore the story.
Trump broadened his attack beyond Welker to indict what he called the “Radical Left News” for systematically downplaying his political influence.
“Their new weapon is to say that my 99% SUCCESS Rate on Endorsements, 100% on Senatorial Endorsements (Many of whom were not even given a shot of winning until I Endorsed!), is either a mixed result, or not very good,” he wrote. “In actuality, it is, without question, the strongest Endorsement in the History of Politics.”
The president made clear Welker isn’t the only media figure in his sights. “Unfortunately, she is not the only one,” he warned.
Trump called on FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and his commissioners to treat the matter seriously, framing media misrepresentation as a national security issue.
“The Press is a Disgrace to our Nation, and I hope that Chairman Brendan Carr, and the fine people of his Commission, will take this Threat to our Country very seriously,” Trump wrote. “Thank you for your attention to this very important matter of Fake Polls and Commentary!”
