NEW YORK (AP) - President Donald Trump never said he wanted to ban shows with gay-themed content from television, including Fox’s “Empire,” despite the claims of a widely shared story quoting him in a purported interview with Fox News. The network said the president never made such a statement, nor does he have the authority to ban programming.

The story posted on several sites, including usinfonews.com and usainfocentar.com, cites a supposed interview Trump conducted with Fox News earlier this month in which he declared that he would ban “Empire” as part of a two-year effort “to remove all shows that have too much gay activity.” The story also claims Mr. Trump used a derogatory slur for gay people in the interview.

A spokesperson for Fox News confirms that Mr. Trump never made such remarks on their air.

The Fox network says no one from the administration has sought to interfere with “Empire” or any other of their shows.

The president can use the bully pulpit to encourage or discourage certain kinds of entertainment, but he cannot ban it because of First Amendment freedom of speech guarantees.

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This story is part of an ongoing Associated Press effort to fact-check claims in suspected false news stories.

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