Trump Melts Down on Christmas Eve, Threatens to ‘Terminate’ TV Networks

President Donald Trump, 79, spent the early hours of Christmas Eve launching a blistering social-media tirade against American television networks and comedian Stephen Colbert, in what critics are calling one of the most alarming outbursts of his presidency.

Trump, who was reportedly returning from a holiday gala at Mar-a-Lago, posted a string of all-caps messages on Truth Social just after 2 a.m., accusing major networks of “hating MAGA” and demanding that their broadcast licenses be revoked.

“If Network NEWSCASTS, and their Late Night Shows, are almost 100% Negative to President Donald J. Trump… shouldn’t their very valuable Broadcast Licenses be terminated? I say, YES!” the president wrote.

Moments later, he pivoted to CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert, calling him a “pathetic trainwreck” and declaring that the network should “put him to sleep, NOW.” The bizarre comment quickly trended on X under the hashtag #PutToSleep, drawing widespread backlash and renewed concerns over the president’s mental stability.

The posts were widely condemned by press-freedom advocates and members of Congress.
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said in a statement:

“Threatening to revoke licenses and calling for violence against journalists and entertainers isn’t leadership — it’s authoritarianism wrapped in tinsel.”

Media watchdog group Freedom of the Press Now added that Trump’s remarks “reflect an ongoing pattern of using state power to intimidate independent journalism,” noting his previous attempts to pressure the FCC into punishing critical coverage.

Though Colbert’s show is on holiday hiatus, Trump still singled him out, apparently infuriated by reports that the comedian is considering a 2028 presidential run as a symbolic challenge to MAGA politics.

“Stephen is running on hatred and fumes,” Trump wrote. “A dead man walking!”

The president’s fixation on Colbert is not new. In September, Trump’s hand-picked FCC chair Brendan Carr briefly forced “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” off the air after the host mocked MAGA supporters reacting to right-wing activist Charlie Kirk’s death.

The FCC later restored the broadcast, but Trump’s renewed threats suggest he’s emboldened by that temporary success.

This week, CBS made headlines for spiking a 60 Minutes investigation into the Trump administration’s secret deportations of Venezuelan migrants to a notorious El Salvador prison. According to leaked internal emails, the segment was killed just hours before air.

Reporter Sharyn Alfonsi blasted the decision in a memo obtained by Politico:

“If the standard for airing a story becomes ‘the government must agree to be interviewed,’ then the government effectively gains control over 60 Minutes.”

The move reportedly came from Bari Weiss, CBS News’ newly installed editor-in-chief — and a vocal Trump ally — raising fresh concerns about political interference in newsrooms.

Trump capped off his online tirade by prematurely wishing followers a “MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!” one day early, a flourish that only underscored the chaos of the night.

White House aides, speaking anonymously, said the president was “frustrated with network coverage” of his administration’s immigration crackdown and recent economic setbacks.

“He hates not being the center of the story,” said one senior adviser. “Christmas Eve or not, he wants the last word.”

With his 80th birthday approaching and approval ratings slipping among independents, Trump has increasingly leaned on social media to fire up his base — often at the expense of norms and restraint.

“He’s treating Truth Social like his personal nuclear button,” said political analyst Maria Cardona. “Every time he feels cornered, he goes back to threatening institutions — the media, the courts, even entertainers — as if he’s campaigning, not governing.”

For many Americans, it was a familiar scene: another holiday overshadowed by the president’s temper.

Source: Truth Social posts archived December 24, 2025; CBS News internal memo; Politico; Freedom of the Press Now; White House press pool reports.