President Donald Trump said he plans to force an exclusive national broadcast of the Army-Navy football game, declaring that Americans should focus on the historic matchup without competition from other college football games.
In a Truth Social post over the weekend, Trump, 79, announced that he intends to sign an executive order creating a four-hour broadcast window for the annual Army-Navy game.
Highlights
- Trump vowed an executive order for an exclusive 4-hour national broadcast window of the Army-Navy football game.
- He insisted no other football games air simultaneously to preserve the tradition and patriotism of Army-Navy.
- CBS holds exclusive broadcasting rights through 2038, funding over 30% of the service academies' athletic budgets.
- Media experts say the order is likely illegal under the First Amendment and federal media regulations.
He added that no other football games should air at the same time.
Trump plans to force a four-hour-long national broadcast of the Army-Navy football game
Image credits: The White House/Flickr
“The Army-Navy Game is one of our Greatest American Traditions — Unmatched Patriotism, Courage, and Honor! This incredible Tradition is now at risk of being pushed aside by more College Playoff Games, and Big TV Money,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “NOT ANYMORE!”
“Under my Administration, the second Saturday in December belongs to Army-Navy, and ONLY Army-Navy!” he continued. “No other Game or Team can violate this Time Slot!!!”
The Army-Navy game takes place every December between cadets from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and midshipmen from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. The 2026 game is scheduled for December 12 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
CBS has broadcast the game since 1996 and holds exclusive rights through 2038. The deal provides more than 30% of the annual athletic budgets for both service academies, according to Sports Business Journal.
CBS, owned by Paramount, is led by Trump-friendly CEO David Ellison, with backing from his father, billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, who is in Trump’s inner circle.
Trump said his message served as a “notice” to television networks. However, media law experts told The Washington Post that the planned executive order was likely illegal, given the First Amendment and other regulations.
Image credits: Patrick Smith/Getty Images
“With a stroke of a pen, the president will assert a power that any television programmer in history would have killed for,” Jeffrey Cole, director of the USC Annenberg Center for the Digital Future, told The Washington Post.
“While the goal may be commendable (at least for Army-Navy) and the President has as much right to persuade or coerce as any fan, he has no legal power of enforcement.”
Brendan Carr, whom Trump appointed as Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman, shared Trump’s post on X. The FCC has not said whether it would attempt to enforce the proposal.
The Army-Navy game was the most-watched broadcast on CBS last year.
Trump said no other football games should air at the same time
Image credits: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Julian Zelizer, a history professor at Princeton University, questioned the administration’s priorities.
“Troops on the street in Minneapolis, a Venezuelan president in custody, tensions rising with Iran—and an executive order to secure a time slot for football,” Zelizer said.
“This is not what other presidents have been focused on or, even more, used their authority for,” he added.
Trump attended the most recent Army-Navy game in Baltimore in December, where the Navy won 17-16. He participated in the ceremonial coin toss and has attended the event seven times.
“We must protect the Tradition, and the Players, who protect us,” Trump wrote, adding, “Please let this serve as Notice to ALL Television Networks, Stations, and Outlets.”
Americans also took to social media, unhappy about the impending announcement.
“Trump cloaking his authoritarian overreach in fake patriotism, threatening executive orders to dictate private broadcasters’ college football schedules. This is exactly what dictators do. Disgraceful,” said one X user.
“State mandated television sounds very North Korean,” said another.