Trump threatens TV networks as ABC host Jimmy Kimmel suspended

Following the suspension of US TV host Jimmy Kimmel by the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), US President Donald Trump threatened that TV networks which cover him “negatively” could be punished by his government.

The US President made the remarks on Thursday while speaking to reporters aboard his plane returning from the UK after his state visit, sparking a national debate on free speech that has reached new heights.

He claimed major US networks were “97% against me” without providing evidence to prove this figure, saying he read the statistics “someplace.”

“They give me only bad press. I mean they’re getting a license. I would think maybe their licenses should be taken away.”

He also expressed support for and celebration of major US television network ABC’s decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel, saying the TV host was “not a talented person” who “had very bad ratings.”

The suspension of Kimmel’s show—which averaged 1.77 million viewers in the second quarter of 2025 and whose host also had 20 million YouTube subscribers—followed a recent broadcast in which Kimmel suggested that “many in Maga land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk.”

ABC said Wednesday it was yanking the late-night comedy show “Jimmy Kimmel Live” indefinitely following “conservative uproar over his Monday monologue.”

Although local TV stations do require a license from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the FCC says clearly on its website that it does “not license TV or radio networks such as ABC.” Nevertheless, the company went ahead with the decision after FCC chair Brendan Carr suggested ABC could face regulatory consequences following Kimmel’s remarks.

The decision—supported by two of the largest owners of local broadcasters, Nexstar and Sinclair Broadcast Group—prompted numerous calls for a boycott against Disney, ABC’s parent company.

An estimated 200 protesters gathered outside Walt Disney Studios in Los Angeles on Thursday, as part of a union-organized protest against Disney’s decision. Some raised signs saying, “Don’t Bend a Knee to Trump,” “Resist fascism,” “Douse the mouse,” and “Cancel Disney+.”

Writers, performers, former US President Barack Obama, and others condemned Kimmel’s suspension, calling it capitulation to unconstitutional government pressure. They argued Trump was mounting an assault on free speech rights guaranteed in the US Constitution’s First Amendment.

The American Civil Liberties Union called it an unconstitutional attempt by the Trump administration to “silence its critics and control what the American people watch and read.”

At the Hollywood demonstration, motorists honked their horns in support as protesters spilled out from the busy sidewalk and into the streets.

“This country is going in a really wrong direction,” protester Laura Brenner said. “When people can’t make fun of the administration, you know that we’re really going down a dark road.”

AP sues three Trump administration officials over barred access to presidential events

The Associated Press (AP) has sued three Trump administration officials for restricted access to presidential events.

Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump banned the Associated Press (AP) from the White House over using the Gulf of Mexico’s name, which he had ordered to be changed to the “Gulf of America.”

In May, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) warned of an "authoritarian shift" in US governance, citing Trump’s "daily attacks" on journalists, politicization of institutions, and deliberate defunding of media. It said the US fell 13 places in two years to 57th in its 2025 World Press Freedom Index.

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