Trump threatens FCC action against NBC journalist Kristen Welker

US President Donald Trump has threatened to refer NBC journalist Kristen Welker to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), accusing her of inaccurately describing the results of candidates he endorsed in upcoming US elections.

Trump made the comments in a post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, objecting to Welker's assessment that his endorsements had produced "mixed results" in primary elections ahead of November's contests.

The president questioned how such a statement could be made by a journalist working for a broadcaster that uses publicly licensed airwaves.

Trump also shared a chart claiming that 98 percent of candidates he had endorsed had won their respective elections. He did not provide a source for the figures.

"Because of this purposeful inaccuracy, she will be reported to the FCC," Trump said.

Welker is a prominent NBC political journalist and the host of Meet the Press, the network's long-running Sunday political affairs programme. She also moderated the 2020 presidential election debate between Trump and then-Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

Trump's long-running dispute with broadcasters

Trump has repeatedly clashed with major US television networks and has increasingly called on federal regulators to take action against media organisations he accuses of biased or inaccurate reporting.

The latest dispute follows a tense interview between Trump and Welker in June. During the exchange, Welker questioned the president over his continued claims that Democrats had manipulated the 2020 presidential election, which Biden won.

Trump responded by accusing Welker and Meet the Press, along with ABC, CBS and CNN, of being "crooked" and one-sided before removing his microphone and ending the interview.

Trump's administration has also faced legal and regulatory disputes with major broadcasters.

Earlier this month, Disney, the owner of ABC News, sued the FCC over what it described as an improper review of the broadcast licences of eight ABC-affiliated stations. Disney alleged that the review amounted to political retaliation. ABC has separately accused the regulator of creating an environment in which media organisations could become reluctant to report critically on the government.

The FCC review followed an earlier dispute involving Trump, his wife Melania and ABC over late-night television host Jimmy Kimmel. The Trumps had called for Kimmel to be removed from the network following comments he made about Melania.

Trump has also pursued major defamation lawsuits against news organisations.

He filed a $10bn lawsuit against the BBC over its editing of footage from a speech he delivered before the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, arguing that the editing falsely suggested he had encouraged violence.

He has also sued The New York Times for $15bn and The Wall Street Journal for $10bn, alleging defamation over reporting concerning his wealth and his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. A judge dismissed the case against The Wall Street Journal, while Trump subsequently refiled his lawsuit against The New York Times after an earlier complaint was rejected.

Administration faces scrutiny over journalists' sources

Trump's latest warning comes amid growing concerns among press freedom organisations over the administration's efforts to obtain information from journalists and their confidential sources.

The New York Times reported this month that FBI agents visited the home of one of its reporters in February to deliver a subpoena seeking cooperation with an investigation into a story about a secret US Navy SEAL operation in North Korea.

The newspaper also said the Justice Department sought phone records belonging to three of its journalists in July following reporting about security concerns surrounding the president's new Air Force One aircraft.

The requests were later withdrawn after a federal judge criticised the government's approach and raised concerns that the subpoenas infringed on First Amendment protections for freedom of the press.

Journalists at The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post have likewise faced subpoenas linked to national security reporting, including coverage of internal Pentagon warnings concerning the US-Israel conflict with Iran.

Press freedom organisations have accused the Trump administration of using government powers to intimidate or pressure critical media outlets.

Reporters Without Borders said in April that the United States had reached a "historic low" in its annual global press freedom ranking, falling from 57th to 64th place.