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Fact Check: President Donald Trump issued an executive order instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting...

Fact Check: President Donald Trump issued an executive order instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting...

Published May 8, 2025
ByFactChecker 1.1 avatarFactChecker 1.1
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# Claim Analysis: Trump's Executive Order on NPR and PBS Funding ## 1. Introduction The claim states that President Donald Trump issued an executive ...

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Claim Analysis: Trump's Executive Order on NPR and PBS Funding

1. Introduction

The claim states that President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to cease federal funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), and that a legal challenge to this order is anticipated. This assertion has been reported by multiple news outlets and is based on the text of the executive order itself.

2. What We Know

According to various sources, President Trump signed an executive order on May 2, 2025, aimed at ending federal funding for NPR and PBS. The order instructs the CPB and other federal agencies to stop funding these organizations, citing concerns over perceived bias in their programming. The order has been described as "blatantly unlawful" by PBS chief Paula Kerger, who argues that it exceeds presidential authority and could violate the First Amendment 1468.

The executive order also seeks to eliminate indirect funding sources for these organizations, which could have significant implications for their operational budgets 35. Legal experts suggest that the order may face challenges in court, particularly regarding its constitutionality and the extent of presidential power over federal funding 6810.

3. Analysis

Source Evaluation

  1. NPR: As a well-established news organization, NPR provides a comprehensive overview of the executive order and includes direct quotes from key figures like PBS chief Paula Kerger. However, NPR's reporting may carry a bias due to its affiliation with public broadcasting, which could influence its portrayal of the executive order as unlawful 1.

  2. White House Official Releases: The official statements from the White House 23 provide insight into the administration's rationale for the order. However, these documents are inherently biased as they represent the government's perspective and may lack critical analysis of the implications of the order.

  3. AP News: The Associated Press is generally regarded as a reliable source, providing a balanced account of the executive order and including reactions from PBS and legal experts 4. However, like other news outlets, it may reflect the prevailing media narrative surrounding public broadcasting.

  4. The New York Times: Known for its thorough journalism, The New York Times reports on the executive order while also highlighting the accusations of bias against NPR and PBS. The article includes context about the political motivations behind the order, which is essential for understanding its implications 5.

  5. Washington Post: This source discusses potential legal challenges and the broader implications of the order, citing legal scholars who question its constitutionality 6. The Washington Post is generally considered a credible source, but it may have a liberal bias, which could color its interpretation of the order.

  6. PBS NewsHour: As a public broadcasting outlet, PBS provides detailed coverage of the order and its implications for public media. However, its position as a direct stakeholder may lead to a biased interpretation of the events 79.

  7. Politifact: This fact-checking organization provides context about Trump's past promises regarding public broadcasting funding, which is useful for understanding the continuity of his stance on this issue 10. However, its analysis may be limited by the need to assess the order's implications rather than its legality.

Methodological Concerns

The executive order's legality hinges on interpretations of presidential authority and First Amendment rights. Legal scholars have differing opinions on whether the order oversteps constitutional boundaries, indicating a need for further legal analysis and court rulings to clarify these issues.

4. Conclusion

Verdict: True

The evidence supports the claim that President Trump signed an executive order on May 2, 2025, directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to cease federal funding for NPR and PBS. This conclusion is based on multiple credible sources that confirm the existence of the executive order and its implications for public broadcasting funding.

However, it is important to note that the legality of the executive order is contested. Critics, including PBS chief Paula Kerger, argue that it may exceed presidential authority and violate the First Amendment. Legal experts suggest that the order could face significant challenges in court, which may ultimately determine its constitutionality and enforceability.

While the claim is substantiated by the available evidence, the ongoing legal debates and differing interpretations of presidential power introduce a level of uncertainty regarding the order's future. Readers are encouraged to critically evaluate information and consider the broader context surrounding such claims, especially when they involve legal and constitutional implications.

5. Sources

  1. Trump seeks to end federal funding for NPR and PBS: NPR. Link
  2. Ending Taxpayer Subsidization Of Biased Media: White House. Link
  3. Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Ends the Taxpayer...: White House. Link
  4. Trump orders federal funding cuts to PBS and NPR: AP News. Link
  5. Trump Signs Executive Order to End Federal Funding for NPR and PBS: The New York Times. Link
  6. Trump executive order seeks to end federal funding: Washington Post. Link
  7. Trump signs executive order directing federal funding cuts to PBS and NPR: PBS NewsHour. Link
  8. Trump signs executive order to stop federal funding for NPR and PBS: NBC News. Link
  9. A look at Trump's executive order targeting public media funding: PBS NewsHour. Link
  10. President Trump's order to end federal funding for NPR, PBS could face...: Politifact. Link
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Fact Check: Transcript 00:00 For all of their strutting about protesting that they support democracy. Not a one of them gave a damn about democracy when they pulled Biden off the ballot and dropped Kamala Harris in without a single Democrat primary voter voting for him. And you know what? Not a single Democrat is here today because not a single one of them gives a damn about the fact that they lied to the American people for four years. They knew Every one of them knew that Joe Biden was 00:34 mentally not competent to do the job. The White House Press Secretary. She knew when she stood in front of the American people and lied over and over and over again and they're not here because they can't defend themselves. It wasn't a surprise for four years the White House hid President Biden from Republican Senators. Would not let him meet with us. He served 40 years in this body. We all know him. And they deliberately lied and by the way Jake Tapper had a bombshell 01:08 book exposing the incredible scandal that Biden's mental decline was covered up by Jake Tapper. There's a Yiddish word and that truly is how dare we lie and cover up what we all knew. Now I have been asked literally a thousand times by Texans. Was running the country? And I'm going to give 01:40 you the most terrifying answer. I don't know. I genuinely don't know. And not a single Democrat here cares. The most telling proof of Biden's decline came with the signature of the president. The symbol of executive authority that was outsourced to a machine. Mister Wald you're a lawyer who served in the White House Council's Office. You understand the gravity of presidential action. Does the president's signature 02:10 carry legal and constitutional weight under article two? Yes. Is the act of signing an executive order or signing a law or granting a pardon a delegable duty of the president. Uh so in that opinion in 2005 from OLC they said essentially that an autopin could be used by a subordinate but the president's determination as to sign the document can never be delegated. Can that authority 02:41 be transferred to a staff or a machine without the president's explicit authorization? Never. And if you look at the statistics, the statistics are stunning. In 2021, President Biden issued 78 executive orders. None were signed with an auto pen. That first year the presidency, Biden I suppose was relatively lucid and 78 executive orders he signed by hand. The second year, however, we see the auto pen emerged. 03:15 The first auto pen executive order was issued on 15th 2022. After that day 100% of the executive orders issued in 2022 were signed by an autopen. In 2023 Biden issued twenty-four executive orders. 16 were auto penned. In 20twenty-four Biden issued 19. 14 were auto penned. In twenty twenty-5 Biden issued fourteen executive orders every single one was auto pins. 03:52 Mister Wald let me ask you as a legal matter if there's a law that's passed both houses of Congress and it goes to the White House and a staffer autopins signing that law without the president's authorization is that law legally passed and signed in the law? No. If an executive order is issued and a staffer autopins it without the president's authorization, is that executive order legally binding? No. And if a pardon issued from the President of 04:22 the United States and a staffer auto pens it without the president's authorization. Is that pardon legally binding? No. Under the Biden White House the ceremonial song hailed to the chief was effectively replaced with hail to the pen and it was an outright assault on democracy and every reporter covering this ought to ask why doesn't a Democrat care? We heard about the moral responsibilities of a staffer. 04:54 How about an elected senator who knows damn well that if we get into a war and Iran is preparing to fire a nuclear weapon at the United States that the commander in chief is busy playing with his jello and he's not competent to defend ourselves and every member of the cabinet, the chief of staff, the press secretary, and the members of Congress who lied about this on a daily basis with the press's complicity. They are all responsible for subverting democracy. Angry Ted Cruz is perhaps my favorite version of 05:27 Ted Cruz because when he's getting history on it, you might want to take a listen. He is definitely angry that there's some acting going on here in the line of hail to the chief change from hail to the pen that's not a smart line but it's still the truth. The truth is in this video right here ladies and gentlemen. The change in the way Joe Biden used the autopin is a steady upward moving graph from twenty twenty-one to the end of his presidency in early twenty 05:58 twenty-five. Okay? That is a noticeable issue. And if he does not directly authorize the autopin we've got We've got grounds to go through every single law Joe Biden has signed that way and perhaps ignore them all together. There's way more evidence behind the autopin theory and hopefully it ends up sticking. I I hope it does because I think this is in a way worse than the Bill Clinton perjury case. Cuz Bill 06:28 Clinton basically lied before Congress lied directly to the American people lied under oath. This is worse in a way. Because lying under oath means that you know where the truth is and you're just hoping to get away with it and there's a direct law. This however Signing with the auto pin is more opaque. It is an ultimate he said she said and you're dont rate the opinion oo just fact if there is

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Fact Check: President Donald Trump issued an executive order instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting... | TruthOrFake Blog