Former President Donald Trump suggested Comcast Corp CMCSA should be investigated for treason and swore the parent company of NBC and MSNBC would be scrutinized if (and when by his measure) he were to win the presidency in 2024.
What Happened: In a post on Trump-owned social platform Truth Social, the former president accused Comcast of "Country Threatening Treason."
Trump said almost all news outlets are "dishonest and corrupt," but singled out NBC News and particularly MSNBC for one-sided, "viscous" coverage.
"I say up front, openly, and proudly, that when I WIN the Presidency of the United States, they and others of the LameStream Media will be thoroughly scrutinized for their knowingly dishonest and corrupt coverage of people, things, and events," Trump wrote Sunday in the post.
"Why should NBC, or any other of the corrupt & dishonest media companies, be entitled to use the very valuable Airwaves of the USA, FREE? They are a true threat to Democracy and are, in fact, THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE! The Fake News Media should pay a big price for what they have done to our once great Country!"
Why It Matters: In an email response shared by The Guardian, White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said freedom of the press is a fundamental constitutional right and noted that President Biden swore an oath to uphold the Constitution and protect democracy.
"To abuse presidential power and violate the constitutional rights of reporters would be an outrageous attack on our democracy and the rule of law. Presidents must always defend Americans’ freedoms – never trample on them for selfish, small and dangerous political purposes," Bates said in the statement.
The 2024 presidential election could very well end up being a rerun of the 2020 race. If Biden were to win the Democratic nomination, current polls indicate there is a good chance he will go up against Trump on the other side.
Morning Consult conducts a weekly poll that projects the potential outcome based on responses from registered voters. Biden was slightly ahead in a hypothetical rematch two weeks ago, but as of last week, Trump had pulled even with the current president, with each candidate seeing 42% of the votes. Eleven percent opted for another candidate and 5% came in undecided.
Benzinga tracks the results on a weekly basis. An updated projection is set to be released on Tuesday.
CMCSA Price Action: Comcast shares were down 0.88% at $44.90 at the time of publication, according to Benzinga Pro.
Photo: Shutterstock
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