President Donald Trump on Sunday reignited his long-running feud with media figures and networks he calls “Fake News,” mocking MSNBC host Al Sharpton and calling on federal regulators to review NBC’s broadcasting license, arguing that the network and its affiliates promote Democrats while vilifying Republicans.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump shared an old photograph of Sharpton from 1988 — heavier and dressed in a red shirt, suspenders, and a thick gold chain — alongside a sharply worded rebuke of both the activist-turned-TV host and Comcast executives. “I knew Al Sharpton for many years, not that it matters, but he was a major ‘TRUMP’ fan,” the president wrote. “He’d ask me to go to his fake rallies all the time, because I brought BIG Crowds, and he couldn’t get anybody to come without me.”
Trump accused Sharpton of suffering a “big hit” to his reputation after his central role in the Tawana Brawley case, a notorious 1987 hoax in which a 15-year-old girl falsely accused four white men of rape and kidnapping. “Then he did the Tawana Brawley Hoax, one of the worst Low Level Scams in History, and that set him back, BIG TIME!” Trump said.
The president went on to criticize Brian Roberts, CEO and chairman of Comcast, NBCUniversal’s parent company, for what he described as cowardice in keeping Sharpton on the air despite poor ratings. “Roberts is afraid to take him off because it wouldn’t be ‘Politically Correct,’” Trump wrote. “This is just one of the many reasons that the Federal Communications Commission should look into the license of NBC, which shows almost exclusively positive Democrat content.”
Trump appeared to conflate NBC with MSNBC, the network that actually airs Sharpton’s PoliticsNation program. MSNBC, while owned by NBCUniversal, is currently being spun off by Comcast into a separate entity.
Still, Trump’s criticism reflected his broader argument that the mainstream media landscape is overwhelmingly partisan and structurally biased against Republicans.
“Likewise, ABC Fake News — About the same thing, 97% negative to Republicans!” Trump continued, referencing national media coverage that he claims favors Democrats nearly across the board.
Sharpton’s show, which debuted in 2011, has long been a platform for the MSNBC host’s commentary on race, politics, and social justice — often targeting conservatives and Trump himself. The president’s remarks Sunday revived his frequent complaint that major television networks act as Democratic campaign arms under the guise of journalism.
The post also underscored Trump’s willingness to take aim at both individual media figures and the corporate structures behind them.
By invoking the FCC, Trump hinted at potential regulatory scrutiny — something he has previously called for when networks, in his view, engage in “propaganda” rather than public service broadcasting.
For Trump, Sharpton remains both a symbol of media hypocrisy and a once-familiar acquaintance turned antagonist. “He used to beg me to show up because I drew the crowds,” Trump said, contrasting their past relationship with what he sees as Sharpton’s current alignment with Democratic media orthodoxy.
Whether the FCC will take up Trump’s suggestion remains uncertain. But his post made clear that, as in his first term, Trump intends to keep pressure on legacy media outlets he views as partisan megaphones — and to call out what he describes as their “politically correct” protection of figures like Al Sharpton.
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