Donald Trump seems to be in a total no-chill mood, especially after the whole drama that followed with Jimmy Kimmel getting suspended. ABC removed the popular American show host after Trump himself made repeated social media outcries.
Trump’s strong dislike of being mocked by Kimmel on live shows added even more fuel to the fire. And now, within days of getting the television persona sacked from his job, Trump’s recent statement about the loss of freedom of speech is grabbing all eyeballs.
During his Oval Office address on September 19, Trump openly discussed his frustration with the relentless negative media coverage he has been under. He described such coverage as illegal, claiming it no longer falls under the protections of free speech. He said, “I’m a very strong person for free speech. But 97, 94, 95, 96% of the people are against me in the sense that the newscasts are against me. The stories are reportedly 97% bad. So, they gave me 97; they’ll take a great story and make it bad. See, I think that’s really illegal, personally.”
Even if you believe this was a joke, you people got Kimmel fired over a far milder joke – made on a comedy show. This was supposed to be a memorial service. Trump “joked” about hating other Americans and ranted about tariffs. https://t.co/2mUngjBfop
— Alex Z (@AZinCLE) September 22, 2025
Moreover, what turned heads was the moment when Donald Trump tagged such negative propaganda and news coverage against him as cheating, because it was merely a few days ago when he got Jimmy Kimmel’s job snatched for trying to maintain freedom of speech itself. For context, a week earlier, Kimmel made remarks about Charlie Kirk, who was publicly assassinated.
And now, hearing Trump’s recent explanation that media coverage curbs freedom of speech, CNN host Kaitlin Collins clapped back at his words. She did not mince her words when she said, “Tonight, President Trump says overly negative coverage of him is illegal, as he is ousting a prosecutor that he picked who declined to indict one of his political opponents without enough evidence.”
This is why Trump speaks against “unity”. There is no unity with people who actively wage war against you.
Shots Fired At ABC Affiliate By Suspected Leftist After Network Pulls Jimmy Kimmel https://t.co/pNfJ6EnQNX
— Ace Reinhart (@ace_reinhart) September 22, 2025
Kaitlin added her two cents on what she could make out from Trump’s statements, highlighting that the U.S. President now not only wants to revoke the licenses of channels that glorify such news but also believes that any coverage too negative for him is as good as being illegal.
In her words, “President Trump is no longer just suggesting that some TV networks should have their licenses revoked. He now seems to be clearly saying that the coverage he deems too negative is illegal. Like freedom of speech, freedom of the press is legally protected by the First Amendment. That includes positive and negative coverage. It’s not based on percentages either.”
Defending Kimmel, Collins noted that several late-night shows have pointed out how the administration is making aggressive moves against free speech in the country. Kaitlin further indicated strongly how ABC pulling the plug on Kimmel’s show had everything to do with Trump’s incessant pressure on the network to act out in such a way.
She added, “The President, though, seems emboldened today, by ABC’s decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel’s show off the air, after the network was facing intense pressure from the President’s FCC chair.”
