Trump backs suspension of talk show host over Charlie Kirk remarks

US President Donald Trump suggested Thursday that American broadcast networks could face scrutiny over their licenses if their coverage is overwhelmingly critical of him.

“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,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One. “They’re licensed. They’re not allowed to do that. They’re an arm of the Democrat party.”

His remarks came while defending ABC’s decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel Live! following the late-night talk show host’s comments about conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s death.

Trump also praised Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr, linking perceived negative coverage to potential consequences for networks.

“I read someplace that the networks were 97% against me again, I get 97% negative. And yet I won it (the 2024 presidential election) easily. I won all seven swing states, the popular vote, whatever. They’re 97% against. They give me totally bad publicity, the press,” he said, according to a report by the media company Bloomberg.

“They’re getting a license. I would think maybe their license should be taken away. It will be up to Brendan Carr. I think Brendan Carr is outstanding. He’s a patriot. He loves our country, and he’s a tough guy. So we’ll have to see.”

Bloomberg also noted that the comments marked Trump’s strongest public threat to US broadcasters who control major news networks and mass-market entertainment.

Trump and his Republican allies have long criticized Hollywood and networks such as CBS, ABC and NBC for late-night hosts perceived as critical of conservative politics.

He also defended ABC’s action against Kimmel, who faced a backlash for remarks about Kirk.

“Jimmy Kimmel was fired because he had bad ratings more than anything else, and he said a horrible thing about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk,” Trump said during a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his second state visit to the UK.

“Jimmy Kimmel is not a talented person. He had very bad ratings, and they should have fired him a long time ago. So, you know, you can call that free speech or not. He was fired for lack of talent.”

The suspension follows Kimmel’s comments Monday accusing Republicans of politicizing Kirk’s death, which drew condemnation from conservatives and members of the Trump administration.

Carr told podcast host Benny Johnson that he saw grounds to penalize Kimmel, ABC and its owner Disney under FCC rules. Disney announced the suspension Wednesday after Nexstar Media Group, which owns dozens of ABC affiliates, said it would pull the show for remarks deemed “offensive and insensitive.”

Trump and Vice President JD Vance have linked Kirk’s killing to left-leaning rhetoric and have pledged investigations into related organizations.

The episode comes amid Trump’s broader campaign against media outlets, including a $15 billion lawsuit against The New York Times and prior settlements with ABC over defamation claims.

During Thursday’s press event, Starmer responded to Trump’s comments on free speech in the US and UK.

“This country’s had free speech for a very, very long time…We need no reminding of the importance of free speech in this country,” he said.