Donald Trump

Independent -   President Donald Trump said American television networks that didn’t air a speech he gave on 16 July night should lose their licences.

Speaking during his address to the nation, which focused on election security, Trump also said that TV networks that did not air his speech were engaged in a "plot".

“They and others in the media are part of a plot. They want to continue this fraud for whatever reason,” he said. “Fraud like this should mean a revocation of their licences”.

Two of the three major US television networks, NBC and ABC, as well as CNN did not broadcast the primetime address by Trump on their primary platforms, risking the ire of the administration.

Networks enjoy broad First Amendment rights to decide what to broadcast, experts say. Historically, though, broadcasters carried most such speeches on the grounds that they provided information of public importance.

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Alternet -  While Americans are dealing with higher gas prices, high grocery prices and less healthcare, President Donald Trump is living his best life, says Jonathan Swan, co-author of the new book Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, with fellow New York Times writer Maggie Haberman.

“[In his first term], there was always a feeling he felt under siege,” Swan told John Dickerson, host of Slate’s Political Gabfest podcast. “He was under investigation. He was reactive. He was surrounded by people who — whatever you think about Donald Trump, he’s not stupid when it comes to reading people — he understood that many of them had contempt for him and thought that he was dangerous and whatever. So I think it was just generally a stressful, unpleasant experience. This time around, he comes in with a sweeping immunity decision from the Supreme Court and with, especially last year, total command over his own party.”

Swan pointed out that never has he seen a president command his own party and force them to do things they don’t want to do like Trump did last year.

“We haven’t seen that before,” said Swan. “He’s richer than he’s ever been. His family’s making just inordinate sums of money from the presidency. He’s using power in the ways that he wants to without much pushback. He’s entirely surrounded by flatterers. He’s basically housebound. He doesn’t really travel around. He’s not really doing events. He goes from people flattering him in the Oval Office to people on the Mar-a-Lago patio.