WASHINGTON ‒ President Donald Trump is facing a rare backlash from a growing number of MAGA allies over free speech concerns in the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination, as Republicans who are typically hesitant to criticize Trump warn of government overreach.
The pushback follows Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr's threats against ABC to pull late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel ‒ who is now set to go back on air Sept. 23 following widespread criticism of ABC's move ‒ and warnings from Attorney General Pam Bondi about prosecuting "hate speech."
While Trump cheered Kimmel's brief suspension ‒ and called for other late-night show hosts to be axed ‒ Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and conservative commentators Candace Owens and Ben Shapiro each denounced the FCC's threats. Other Republican lawmakers echoed the concerns, arguing the government shouldn't decide what is appropriate for the airwaves.
"Federal action if you carry the Jimmy Kimmel show? Does that seem right to you?" Owens said on her podcast. "If you're on the right, and you cheered this on, do you understand ‒ we never ever, ever should be applauding federal action when it comes to speech. We're all losing. You have to wake up."
