After previously sharing his opposition to the Nexstar Media Group and TEGNA merger, President Donald Trump has reversed course.
In a Truth Social post over the weekend, President Trump urged regulators to get the acquisition approved.
“We need more competition against THE ENEMY, the Fake News National TV Networks,” Trump said. “Letting Good Deals get done like Nexstar – Tegna will help knock out the Fake News because there will be more competition, and at a higher and more sophisticated level. Those that are opposed don’t fully understand how good the concept of this Deal is for them, but they will in the future. GET THAT DEAL DONE!”
Should the merger go through, Nexstar Media Group would add 64 stations from TEGNA to its already existing stable of 200 stations. That means the company could reach more than 80% of all U.S. households, well surpassing the current limit of 39%.
The statement from Trump comes after sharing late last year his opposition to removing ownership limits. At that time, he argued that he’d rather see a reduction rather than an expansion.
“NO EXPANSION OF THE FAKE NEWS NETWORKS,” Trump wrote in a November 2025 Truth Social post. “If anything, make them SMALLER!”
Those comments were on the opposite end of the spectrum of those shared by FCC Chair Brendan Carr. Carr has continually argued for the deal’s approval.
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