The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission has seemingly thrown his weight behind Donald Trump's campaign to have comedian Seth Meyers sacked from NBC, in a remarkable intervention that blurs regulatory and political boundaries.
Regulatory Chief Backs Presidential Criticism
Brendan Carr, who leads the body responsible for regulating American public broadcasters, shared the former president's social media post demanding Meyers' dismissal without adding any commentary of his own. The move represents a significant escalation in the ongoing feud between Trump and the late-night television host.
The controversy erupted after Trump took to his Truth Social platform on Saturday night to launch a blistering attack on the Late Night presenter. The former president claimed Meyers was "suffering from an incurable case of Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS)" and described his programme as a "ratings DISASTER."
In his characteristic capital-letter style, Trump declared: "Aside from everything else, Meyers has no talent and NBC should fire him IMMEDIATELY." Carr's decision to share this post on his X account has been interpreted by political observers as a clear endorsement of the former president's position.
The Catapult Controversy That Sparked the Feud
The social media broadside appears to have been triggered by a segment on Meyers' Thursday night show where the comedian mercilessly mocked Trump's longstanding complaints about aircraft carrier catapult systems. The former president has repeatedly criticised the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) that has replaced traditional steam-driven catapults on modern Ford-class carriers.
During his show, Meyers played a clip from Trump's recent speech to military personnel aboard the USS George Washington in Japan, where the former president asked service members which catapult system they preferred. Several audience members shouted "Steam" in response, prompting Trump to bemoan the electric alternatives.
"They're spending billions of dollars to build stupid electric," Trump complained in the clip. "And the problem, when it breaks, you have to send up to MIT, get the most brilliant people in the world, fly them out, it's ridiculous. The steam they said they could fix with a hammer and a blowtorch and it works just as well if not better."
Trump added the curious aesthetic observation: "And I love the sight of that beautiful steam pouring off that deck - with the electric, you don't have that."
Comedian's Response and Escalating Tensions
Meyers responded with characteristic satire, joking that Trump "spends more time thinking about catapults than Wile E Coyote," the famously catapult-obsessed Looney Tunes character. The comedian then launched into an impersonation of Trump lamenting how "everything got woke" and soldiers were no longer strapped to rockets.
The late-night host also used his segment to criticise Trump's broader Asian tour, suggesting the former president was receiving the "royal treatment he so desperately craves" and noting his apparent "jealousy of China's authoritarian government."
Trump fired back with additional posts on Truth Social, describing Meyers as "the least talented person to 'perform' in the history of television" and accusing him of being "a truly deranged lunatic." In an extraordinary claim, the former president suggested that being "100% ANTI-TRUMP" might be "PROBABLY ILLEGAL."
The involvement of FCC Chair Brendan Carr adds a concerning dimension to the dispute, raising questions about the independence of regulatory bodies from political influence. Carr's apparent endorsement of Trump's position comes despite the FCC having no direct authority over NBC's employment decisions or content.
This incident represents the latest chapter in the ongoing tension between Trump and the American media landscape, though the participation of a senior regulator marks a significant escalation that media freedom advocates are likely to view with considerable alarm.
