Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr said his agency is looking at actions it can take to stop networks from airing “fake polls” ahead of the midterm elections.
Carr, appearing on the Sunday Briefing on Fox News, said that President Donald Trump “fundamentally” understands that “broadcast TV is completely different than other forms of distribution, including cable.”
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The chairman said that broadcasters have received billions of dollars in subsidized distribution and said they need to “operate in the public interest, not some sort of narrow, partisan interest.”
“I think President Trump is over the target, and we’re looking at a lot of actions,” Carr said. “For instance, there’s a lot of interest right now in fake polls that are out there, and so the FCC may put guidance out soon to remind broadcasters about their obligations with respect to not airing fake polls, particularly if they’re done to suppress people heading into the fall.”
The comments come after Trump said that Kristen Welker, the host of NBC’s Meet the Press, would be reported to the FCC for “rebuke or punishment” after she said the president has had “mixed results” on his endorsement of candidates leading up to the November midterm elections.
Trump pointed out that Welker’s comments came after primary wins for Darline Graham Nordone and Mike Mazzei, who won the GOP nominations for the Senate in South Carolina and the governorship of Oklahoma, respectively. Trump had endorsed both of those candidates.
“How can anyone be allowed to say this, working for freely given Public Airwaves?” Trump wrote on Truth Social, claiming his endorsements have a 100% success rate in the Senate and a 98% success rate for the House.
“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 continued. “Thank you for your attention to this very important matter of Fake Polls and Commentary!”
There have been some Trump-endorsed losses this election cycle, such as Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN), who lost to former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher in the August primary.
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Trump also endorsed Mike Lindell, who lost in the GOP primary for Minnesota governor, and Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA), who lost his primary battle to be the next governor of the Hawkeye State.
Still, the overwhelming majority of candidates that Trump has backed have gone on to win their primaries heading into November.