The Trump administration is escalating its fight against public broadcasting, blasting NPR and PBS as biased outlets that have misused taxpayer dollars to push what it calls “radical, woke propaganda.”
In a fiery April 14 statement titled “The NPR, PBS Grift Has Ripped Us Off for Too Long,” the White House accused the two federally funded networks of promoting a liberal agenda under the guise of news, and signaled a renewed effort to cut government support for both.
“Taxpayer funding of NPR’s and PBS’s biased content is a waste,” the statement reads, echoing former President Donald Trump’s long-standing attacks on public media. It lists more than a dozen programs and reports that aired on NPR or PBS over the last decade—many centered on race, gender identity, or sexuality—as evidence of left-leaning bias.
The administration pointed to NPR features on “queer animals” and “trans-ceratops,” and a PBS children’s show that included a drag queen, as examples of what it calls cultural overreach. It also criticized both outlets for what it described as downplaying major political stories, including the Hunter Biden laptop scandal and President Joe Biden’s cognitive fitness.
“The grift is real,” the statement claims, citing studies and media watchdogs that allege an overwhelming liberal slant in public broadcasting. It referenced a 2024 media analysis showing PBS staff used the term “far-right” 162 times, compared to just six mentions of “far-left,” and cited a newsroom survey where NPR reportedly had zero registered Republicans among its journalists.
The administration also singled out NPR CEO Katherine Maher for past partisan comments and affiliations, accusing her of bringing “activist” politics into the newsroom.
Calls to defund NPR and PBS have long circulated among conservatives, but the latest announcement signals a more aggressive posture. While the statement stops short of outlining a formal legislative plan, it sets the stage for potential funding battles with Congress.
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