India, Aug. 31 -- US President Donald Trump has escalated his long-standing tensions with mainstream news organisations by declaring that NBC News anchor and Meet the Press host Kristen Welker should face formal regulatory rebuke or punishment from the Federal Communications Commission.

The threat, issued via a social media broadcast, followed on-air remarks where Welker characterised the president's primary election endorsements as yielding mixed results heading into the midterms. The development marks yet another flashpoint in an increasingly combative relationship between the administration and major American television networks over broadcast licensing and editorial independence.

Trump Kristen Welker: What triggered the dispute over...