Trending Now - Trump and Officials Intensify Pressure on Media Over Iran War
WHO:
President Trump
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
CNN Senior Political Commentator David Axelrod
CNN Chairman and CEO Mark Thompson
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer
Republican Senator Ron Johnson
Democratic Senator Ed Markey
California Governor Gavin Newsom
Unnamed US officials
WHAT:
Trump accused media outlets of being “criminal” and “unpatriotic.”
Trump threatened media outlets with “treason” charges for reporting false information.
Trump claimed that media outlets should be “brought up on Charges for TREASON for the dissemination of false information.”
Trump criticized the Wall Street Journal for reporting that five US Air Force refueling planes were damaged at Prince Sultan air base in Saudi Arabia.
Trump stated that four of the refueling planes are “in service” and one “will soon be flying the skies.”
Carr threatened to pull broadcasting licenses from media outlets that he accused of “running hoaxes and news distortions.”
Hegseth criticized CNN’s coverage of the Iran war during a Pentagon briefing.
Trump expressed frustration over AI-generated videos depicting the USS Abraham Lincoln on fire.
Newsom described Carr’s threats as “straight out of the dictators’ playbook.”
WHERE:
Prince Sultan air base in Saudi Arabia
Mar-a-Lago, Florida
Air Force One
Austin, Texas (SXSW event)
WHEN:
March 12th, 2026 (date of Trump’s Truth Social post)
March 14th, 2026 (date of Hegseth’s Pentagon briefing)
March 15th, 2026 (date of Newsom’s interview at SXSW)
March 11th, 2026 (date of the Wall Street Journal report)
WHY:
Trump’s administration is responding to negative media coverage of the Iran war.
The administration aims to discourage independent reporting on the war.
HOW:
Trump utilized social media to express his grievances against the media.
Carr used social media to announce threats to broadcasters regarding their license renewals.
Hegseth made media criticism a focal point during a Pentagon briefing.
(UPDATED March 16, 2026 13:22 UTC)
In a series of pointed remarks, Trump accused media outlets of being “criminal” and “unpatriotic,” threatening them with “treason” charges for what he called the dissemination of false information, particularly criticizing a Wall Street Journal report about damaged Air Force refueling planes in Saudi Arabia. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr echoed these sentiments, threatening to revoke broadcasting licenses from outlets he accused of spreading hoaxes, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took aim at CNN's coverage of the Iran war during a Pentagon briefing. California Governor Gavin Newsom responded to Carr's threats, labeling them as “straight out of the dictators’ playbook,” highlighting the ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and the media landscape.