Trump Endorses Nexstar-Tegna Merger: ‘Get That Deal Done’

President Donald Trump on Saturday threw his support behind a proposed merger between local television station operator Nexstar Media and its smaller competitor Tegna, saying national television networks must have more competition.

“We need more competition against THE ENEMY, the Fake News National TV Networks,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Letting Good Deals get done like Nexstar – Tegna will help knock out the Fake News because there will be more competition, and at a higher and more sophisticated level.”

Nexstar proposed a $3.55 billion acquisition of Tegna in February last year, a move that would make the combined entity the largest regional television station operator in the United States.

Nexstar runs networks including The CW and NewsNation and oversees more than 200 owned and partner stations in 116 markets across the country, while Tegna owns 64 news stations across 51 markets.

Nexstar CEO Perry Sook explained the merger as an opportunity to expand reach and level the playing field.
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“Tegna represents the best option for Nexstar to act on this opportunity,” Sook said in a statement about the proposed merger in August 2025.
Tegna CEO Michael Steib has applauded the Trump administration’s deregulation agenda, a massive initiative announced last year.
“We believe that deregulation is necessary, important and coming,” said Steib during an Aug. 7, 2025, Tegna call, pointing to the challenges for local broadcasters to compete with big tech and legacy outlets.
The Nexstar-Tegna merger would also boost leverage with advertisers and pay-TV distributors amid a changing media landscape, especially the rise of popular streaming services.

Trump’s public backing of the Nexstar-Tegna merger comes after he criticized a proposal last year to lift the current cap on local television station ownership, a move that is necessary for the acquisition.

“Those that are opposed don’t fully understand how good the concept of this Deal is for them, but they will in the future,” Trump said on Saturday. “GET THAT DEAL DONE!”

While consolidation would bring down costs for Nexstar, it would also bring redundancies, according to Paul Hardart, director of the entertainment, media, and technology program at New York University’s Stern School of Business.

“The good news for Nexstar is that makes it run at a lower cost rate, which they need to do because there’s all these headwinds on the revenue side,” Hardart said. But for local communities that rely on the company’s stations, the bad news is that “there will be a homogenization of content.”

The potential purchase comes as the Trump administration moves toward wider regulatory shifts. Trump-appointed chair of the Federal Communications Commission Brendan Carr has long advocated for loosening industry restrictions. The FCC announced last year it that it would be repealing nearly 100 broadcast rules and requirements that it considered “obsolete, outdated, or unnecessary.”

The FCC still needs to approve the proposed merger.