DirecTV, which is owned by AT&T and private equity firm TPG Capital, said it dropped Newsmax, which frequently broadcasts Trump's political rallies live, over the channel's "demands for rate increases" for its carriage fees—money cable and satellite TV providers pay to broadcasters for their content—which would have resulted in higher costs for customers.
And here is what Mr. Trump puts out about this:
In a post on Truth Social, the former president said the company's decision to remove the news network from the airwaves was "disgusting" and a "big blow" to the Republican Party.
"WOW. AT&T DIRECTV REMOVES NEWSMAX FROM ITS CHANNEL LINEUP. This disgusting move comes after 'deplatforming' OAN last year," Trump said.
"The Radical Left seems to have taken over the mind and soul of AT&T. This is a big blow to the Republican Party, and to America itself. For DIRECTV to drop very popular NEWSMAX, without explanation, will not be accepted.
Well, it was explained already Plus more explanation:
DirecTV said in a statement that "on multiple occasions, we made it clear to Newsmax" that it wanted to broadcast the network, but their demands were too high. The provider added that customers can still watch Newsmax for free via the channel's website, YouTube, or other streaming services such as Amazon Fire TV and Roku.
Other Republican figures have also condemned DirecTV's decision to drop Newsmax.
So a business decision is turned into an issue with “the Radical Left”. You can be sure if Mr. Trump was negotiating broadcast carriage fees, and demands for rate increases, he would be singing a different tune. He would probably sue them for something.
No wonder American politics is so screwed up since Mr.. Trump arrived. God help the Republicans being eaten away by Mr. Trump.