President Donald Trump displays what he called a "Happy Trump" pin, as he attends a meeting with oil industry executives, at the White House, January 9, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
(New York, NY) – This past week, President Donald Trump appeared on The Hugh Hewitt Show, in which the pair discussed a variety of topics — including the recent arrest of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela — and the uprisings in Iran, as well as how the autocratic government there has responded.
Aired on Salem Media and also available on YouTube, the show similarly discussed the Supreme Court and Cuba. But Hewitt steered the conversation toward radio when he asked President Trump is something like healthcare reform could be bundled with popular, bipartisan legislation — such as the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act. This legislation would require all new passenger vehicles (including electric vehicles) to include AM radio receivers as standard equipment, primarily for public safety reasons like emergency alerts during disasters when other systems might fail.
Here are some quotes from President Trump on the topic:
- “I like the AM in every car. The AM radio in every car. I like that. I’m in favor of it.”
- “It’s interesting. A lot of people don’t know about that, but it’s actually a very big subject.”
- He added that his administration “will be doing something on that,” describing it as “a huge deal” and “a very popular thing.”
Trump has previously supported protecting AM radio in vehicles, including during a 2024 appearance at the National Religious Broadcasters convention. At that time the president expressed his support for Christian broadcasters. These more recent comments on Hugh Hewitt’s show reaffirm his commitment amid ongoing congressional debates.
The bill addresses concerns from broadcasters and safety advocates after some automakers phased out AM receivers in EVs, as some automakers have said their EV engines interfere with the AM radio signal. But there have also been completing claims that those same companies merely saw it as a cost cutting measure, under the belief AM radio content could be listened to digitally. The safety component and AM’s role as an emergency communications channel is where the legislation picked up steam.
