Former President Barack Obama on Thursday criticized media firms for buckling below the Trump administration’s censorship calls for. His feedback observe the choice by Disney-owned ABC to sideline late-night host Jimmy Kimmel for a joke about President Donald Trump’s response to the loss of life of bigoted activist Charlie Kirk.
“After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like,” Obama wrote on Bluesky Thursday.
Referring particularly to Kimmel’s indefinite suspension, Obama added, “This is precisely the kind of government coercion that the First Amendment was designed to prevent — and media companies need to start standing up rather than capitulating to it.”
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel
This comes a day after he identified that the Trump staff has promoted and empowered “extremist views,” which Obama’s personal administration didn’t have interaction in throughout his presidency from 2009 to 2017.
Obama is probably the most outstanding Democrat to criticize ABC and the Trump administration’s actions, however he’s removed from alone.
In a press release from the Home Democratic management staff, led by Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries, the motion was described as “Donald Trump and the Republican Party’s war on the First Amendment” which they mentioned is “blatantly inconsistent with American values.”
“Media companies, such as the one that suspended Mr. Kimmel, have a lot to explain. The censoring of artists and cancellation of shows is an act of cowardice. It may also be part of a corrupt pay-to-play scheme. House Democrats will make sure the American people learn the truth, even if that requires the relentless unleashing of congressional subpoena power. This will not be forgotten,” they wrote.
Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer wrote on Bluesky, “Everybody across the political spectrum should be speaking out to stop what’s happening to Jimmy Kimmel. This is about protecting democracy.”
Equally, Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote on Bluesky, “Trump silencing free speech stifles our democracy. It sure looks like giant media companies are enabling his authoritarianism.”
In the meantime, Rep. Robert Garcia of California, who’s the rating member of the Home Oversight Committee, mentioned on CNN that “late-night talk show hosts should be able to speak freely and give their opinions. The free press is under attack.”
And Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon referred to as out Trump’s “harem” of billionaires.
“Trump is launching a full blown attack on free speech while his harem of billionaires buys up every media platform,” he wrote on Bluesky.
A cartoon by Clay Jones.
Talking to reporters whereas in England, Trump tried to deflect from the strain his Federal Communications Fee exerted on ABC to get Kimmel off air.
“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 claimed.
Trump’s abuse of energy has been so blatant that he’s even been criticized by stalwart right-wing figures like George W. Bush aides David Frum and Karl Rove. Even Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence has criticized the right-wing witch hunt.
The First Modification and the Structure are below assault, and a number of the highest profile individuals in American life are making that truth extremely clear.
