On Friday, September 19, 2025, former President Donald Trump launched a fresh attack on U.S. media, branding what he perceived as negative coverage as “illegal.” This ignited further debate surrounding free speech, especially in the wake of comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s TV show being suspended by ABC.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump, who has filed multiple lawsuits against major news organizations this year, stated, “They’ll take a great story and they’ll make it bad. See I think it’s really illegal, personally.”
The 79-year-old Republican, a known television enthusiast, primarily directed his criticism at U.S. television networks, repeating his assertion that their reporting on him and his administration is “97% bad.”
He also voiced support for Brendan Carr, the head of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), whose controversial threats against broadcasters have triggered a national discussion about free speech, causing concern even among some Republicans.
Earlier in the week, Carr had publicly criticized Kimmel’s comments regarding the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and hinted at potential sanctions against broadcasters airing Kimmel’s show.
Just hours after Carr’s remarks, ABC announced an indefinite suspension of Kimmel’s program.
On Friday, Trump praised Carr as “an incredible American patriot with courage.”
However, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a staunch Trump ally, expressed reservations, suggesting that it’s dangerous for a government to dictate acceptable speech.
Referencing a classic gangster film while discussing Carr’s potential fines or license revocations for TV shows, Cruz remarked, “I got to say that’s right out of ‘Goodfellas.’ That’s right out of a mafioso coming into a bar going, ‘Nice bar you have here. It would be a shame if something happened to it.'”
Meanwhile, Trump’s personal campaign against the media recently hit a snag when a federal judge delivered a harsh ruling, dismissing his $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times.