President Donald Trump wants Americans to watch the Army-Navy football match whether they like it or not.
Trump, 79, announced in a Truth Social post on Saturday night that he planned to sign an executive order mandating an “exclusive four-hour broadcast window” to air the annual matchup between the two military service academies.
The 2026 Army-Navy game will take place on Dec. 12 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. It is held every December and is played between officers from the U.S. Military Academy based at West Point and the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis.
“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,” he wrote. “NOT ANYMORE!”
“Under my Administration, the second Saturday in December belongs to Army-Navy, and ONLY Army-Navy!” he went on. “No other Game or Team can violate this Time Slot!!!”
Trump said his post served as “notice” to all television networks. CBS, owned by the MAGA-friendly Ellison family through Paramount, has aired the match since 1996 and has exclusive rights to the Army-Navy game until 2038.
Telecommunications lawyers and media law experts, however, told The Washington Post that the planned executive order was likely illegal, citing the First Amendment and other regulations.
“With a stroke of a pen, the president will assert a power that any television programmer in history would have killed for,” Jeffrey Cole, the director of the USC Annenberg School for Communication’s Center for the Digital Future, told the outlet. “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.”
The match was the most-watched game on CBS last year. But as talk of expanding the College Football Playoff grows, some proposals have called to shift the Army-Navy match to a different day, or broadcast other games simultaneously.
The Daily Beast has reached out to The White House, Paramount, and College Football Playoff for comment.
Julian Zelizer, a Princeton University history professor, told the Post he questioned why the Army-Navy game was such a pressing priority for Trump.
“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.”
Last month, Trump attended the Army-Navy game in Baltimore, where the Navy won 17-16. The president took part in the ceremonial coin toss and has now appeared at the event six times.
The CBS deal to broadcast the Army-Navy game accounts for over 30 percent of the annual athletic budgets for West Point and the Naval Academy, Sports Business Journal reported last year.
Brendan Carr, who Trump appointed as FCC chairman, shared Trump’s Truth Social message on his X account. The FCC regulates broadcast television, but has no control over cable networks or streaming platforms.
On Monday, the president is due to attend the College Football Playoff in Florida.
The deadline for potential expansion of the College Football Playoff series is Jan. 23, with options including expanding to 16 teams or keeping the current 12-team format.
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