President Donald Trump has publicly demanded that MSNBC be stripped of its broadcasting rights amid his ongoing $10 billion lawsuit against CBS.
On Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social, he stated, “MSDNC is even worse than CNN. They shouldn’t have a right to broadcast — Only in America!”
Trump’s lawsuit against CBS over a “60 Minutes” interview with Former Vice President Kamala Harris is causing issues for the proposed $8 billion merger of Paramount Global and Skydance Media. The lawsuit claims that CBS engaged in “partisan and unlawful acts of election and voter interference through malicious, deceptive, and substantial news distortion” when editing Harris’s interview about Israel.
However, CBS has refuted these allegations, stating that the interview was merely edited due to time constraints. The network denied any “nefarious” actions and uploaded the unedited version of the interview on its YouTube channel.
The lawsuit has had consequences beyond the courtroom. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Federal Communications Commission Chair, Brendan Carr, has warned Paramount executives that Trump’s objection to CBS could complicate the merger review process.
This regulatory barrier has led Paramount to contemplate settling the lawsuit to allow for merger approval. According to insiders, the corporation is considering options to minimize conflict with the Trump administration.
Through this merger, ownership of 28 CBS Television Network stations, a Class A broadcast station, and two low-power television translator stations will transition from the Redstone family’s National Amusements to companies controlled by Larry and David Ellison.
Larry Ellison’s recent visit to the White House with Trump for the Stargate AI infrastructure project appears to be a strategic move to facilitate regulatory approval for the merger. The deal is also under scrutiny due to Tencent, a Chinese company that holds a minority stake in Skydance, which has attracted attention from the House China Select Committee. A group led by Daphna Ziman is planning a higher bid for Paramount, yet the company remains obligated by its deal with Skydance.
Trump’s condemnation of MSNBC comes when the network has seen fluctuating ratings. According to Adweek, after an initial drop following Trump’s re-election, MSNBC bounced back to become the third most-watched basic cable network during primetime in early January.
MSNBC’s Morning Joe co-hosts, who initially took a more measured tone on Trump after his re-election, have now criticized his pardons of Capitol riot participants. Rachel Maddow has resumed hosting five nights a week during Trump’s first 100 days in office. Former Daily Beast columnist Joy Reid ridiculed Trump’s theatrical inauguration benediction.
It is not Trump’s first endeavor to challenge media licenses. In October 2024, he demanded CBS lose its broadcast license over the Harris interview, labeling it an “UNPRECEDENTED SCANDAL” and “FAKE NEWS SCAM, which is totally illegal.” He stated on Truth Social at the time: “TAKE AWAY THE CBS LICENSE.”
Legal professionals have criticized Trump’s lawsuit against CBS as “frivolous and dangerous.” The case was filed 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, leading to concerns of “judge shopping.”