“They take a positive story and make it negative,” Trump denounces, saying “it’s not about freedom of speech.”
President Donald Trump has called negative media coverage of him by American media outlets “really illegal” and denounced the media’s manipulation of reality to paint a negative image of his administration, which took office in January 2025.
“I’m a very pro-freedom of speech person,” he said from the White House, before stating that “97 percent” of the coverage about him “is negative,” without specifying what he means by this or what the news is. “The stories are 90 percent negative, they say 97 percent,” he stated.
“They take a positive story and make it negative. I personally believe that’s really illegal,” he maintained. “I just won the election. I had to go through that during the election. I think it’s a miracle I can win,” Trump said, noting that the government grants the rights to use the airwaves.
He reiterated that the media resorts to “false negative coverage.” “They take big stories and spin them into something bad all the time. That’s what they do. I think it’s very sad. I think the news should be at least accurate to a certain degree,” he argued.
“When someone gets 97 percent negative stories, it’s not freedom of speech. It’s nothing anymore; it’s deception. They become members of the Democratic National Committee,” he argued. “That’s what the networks are, in my opinion. They’re branches of the Democratic National Committee,” the Republican president added.
Trump’s remarks come just days after Disney announced the “indefinite” withdrawal of Jimmy Kimmel Live, one of the country’s most famous late-night programs, following the host’s comments on Monday, when he accused the MAGA movement of trying to gain political advantage from the murder of ultra-conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Trump then applauded the decision, expressing his “kudos to ABC for finally having the courage to do what needed to be done.” “Kimmel has no talent and has worse ratings than even (Stephen) Colbert, if that’s possible,” he said, referring to the CBS host whose show was canceled in July after his criticism of the network’s parent company, Paramount, for settling a lawsuit with Trump for $16 million.
Meanwhile, Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr had hinted that the agency could take action against ABC, which is owned by Disney. He also stated that he believes “it won’t be the last shoe to drop” and hinted that the agency could also take action against other programs, something widely criticized by numerous Democrats and even Republicans who demand respect for the right to freedom of expression.
In recent hours, one of the most prominent television personalities in the United States, Conan O’Brien, has expressed his opposition to Kimmel’s removal from the show. “The suspension of Jimmy Kimmel and the promise to silence other late-night talk show hosts for criticizing the administration should upset everyone right, left, and center. It’s wrong, and anyone with a conscience should know it’s wrong,” he posted on social media.
