President Donald Trump has said TV networks that air overly-critical commentary of him aren’t allowed to do so and should have their licenses taken away.
“All they do is hit Trump,” he told reporters on Air Force One Thursday on the return trip from a state visit to the U.K. “They’re licensed. They’re not allowed to do that.”
Earlier during the plane-based press conference the president said “maybe their license should be taken away,” in reference to those networks that aren’t positive about him.
The comments come amid fallout over the axing of late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! after comments the host made regarding the killing of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk in Utah on September 10.
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Why It Matters
Questions have mounted over the motivation for the suspension of the popular late-night show, with some suggesting that the real reason that the program was taken off the air is due to its frequent and often acerbic criticism of Trump and his administration.
Trump’s comments on Thursday would appear to confirm these suspicions.
Revoking broadcasting licenses over mocking or critical coverage raises serious concerns about freedom of speech and a free press.
What To Know
Trump was asked by a reporter if he was going to have Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr weigh in on late-night show hosts the president has previously criticized.
“Ninety-seven percent [of TV networks] against, they give me only bad publicity or press,” he replied. “I mean, they’re getting a license. I would think maybe their license should be taken away.”
Trump added that such decisions would be left up to Carr, who he called a “patriot.”
When asked by a reporter who he thinks should replace Jimmy Kimmel, Trump replied:
“A lot of people, anybody could replace him. The guy had no talent. Kimmel had, look, he was fired. He had no talent. He’s a whack job, but he had no talent, and more importantly the talent, he had, because a lot of people have no talent to get ratings, but he had no ratings. His ratings were worse than Colbert, I think”, referring to the CBS late-night TV host whose own eponymous show was canceled in July and will end next May.
“They got rid of Colbert, which was a good thing to do and look, that’s something that should be talked about for licensing too. When you have a network and you have evening shows and all they do is hit Trump,” the president continued.
“All they do is hit Trump. They’re licensed. They’re not allowed to do that,” he added, before suggesting that those networks and shows were in league with the Democratic Party.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
The president’s comments are likely to add to the fierce backlash over the administration’s perceived crackdown on critical voices or perceived liberal bias in the media.
During his Monday night monologue, Kimmel criticized the MAGA movement’s response to the killing of Kirk, suggesting they were politicizing the tragedy and “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”
The comedian went on to make a joke at Trump’s expense over the his reaction to the shooting, playing a clip of a reporter asking the president how he was holding up after the loss of a friend, to which Trump said, “I think very good. And by the way, right there you see all the trucks. They’ve just started construction of the new ballroom for the White House.”
The Trump appointed FCC chair’s reaction was sharp and swift, describing Kimmel’s comments as the “the sickest conduct possible” and advised the Disney-owned ABC network to “find ways to change conduct and take action… or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC.”
Carr also urged other media companies and local broadcasters to “push back” and stop airing the show.
Major ABC affiliates Nexstar and Sinclair responded by pulling the show from their schedules. ABC followed suit soon after.
Mark Von Holden/AP
What People Are Saying
Former President Barack Obama wrote on X : “This commentary offers a clear, powerful statement of why freedom of speech is at the heart of democracy and must be defended, whether the speaker is Charlie Kirk or Jimmy Kimmel, MAGA supporters or MAGA opponents,”.
Nadine Strossen, American legal scholar and former president of the American Civil Liberties Union, told Newsweek: “Just last year, the Supreme Court unanimously reaffirmed its longstanding holding that government officials may not threaten to use their regulatory power to suppress speech or speakers they disfavor. Notably, the political factors in that case were the opposite of those at play in the current situation: a Democratic official was threatening to exercise regulatory power to suppress expression widely disfavored by Democrats – gun rights advocacy by the NRA. This core First Amendment principle equally bars Brendan Carr and Donald Trump from threatening to use their regulatory power to suppress expression they disfavor. Ironically, since Charlie Kirk strongly advocated both First and Second Amendment rights, the current threats doubly dishonor his legacy.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on X: “What Brendan Carr is doing is despicable, what he did to Jimmy Kimmel he is doing to person after person network after network intimidating them and threatening them. He is one of the greatest threats to free speech America has ever seen. He should resign immediately. Trump should fire him”.
What Happens Next
Kimmel himself is yet to comment publicly on the move by ABC. Carr meanwhile has said The View might be next in the FCC’s crosshairs.
