BURSTPresident Trump on Thursday suggested networks and late-night shows in particular should not be allowed to be overwhelmingly critical of him in the wake of ABC's decision to take host Jimmy Kimmel off the air.
Trump was asked about Kimmel's indefinite leave from his late-night show aboard Air Force One as he returned from a two-day trip to the United Kingdom, where he raised the prospect of revoking network licenses over negative coverage.
"I read someplace that the networks were 97 percent against me. Again, 97 percent negative, and yet I won and easily won all seven swing states. The popular vote, won everything," Trump told reporters.
"They're 97 percent against; they give me only bad press. I mean, they're getting a license," he continued. "I would think maybe their license should be taken away."
Trump said that decision would ultimately be left up to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr, whom Trump praised as a "patriot" and a "tough guy."
Asked later who he would like to see replace Kimmel, who has not been fired by ABC, Trump suggested the political leanings of late-night shows should also be taken into account for licensing purposes.
"Look, that's something that should be talked about for licensing, too. When you have a network and you have evening shows, and all they do is hit Trump. That's all they do," the president said. "If you go back, I guess they haven't had a conservative on in years or something somebody said. But when you go back, take a look, all they do is hit Trump."
He continued, "They’re licensed. They’re not allowed to do that. They're an arm of the Democrat party."
Trump's comments appeared to allude to the FCC's fairness doctrine, which required networks holding broadcast licenses to reflect different viewpoints on hot-button issues. The FCC abolished the fairness doctrine in 1987.
ABC announced Wednesday it was taking Kimmel’s late-night show off the air “indefinitely.” The announcement came amid criticism from conservatives about the late-night host’s commentary following the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA.
Carr had earlier Wednesday suggested his agency could take action against ABC over Kimmel’s remarks, in which the late-night host said Trump’s supporters were “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”
Trump has attacked Kimmel and other late-night hosts for years. The president previously celebrated a decision by CBS to cancel “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and had suggested Kimmel, as well as hosts at NBC, should also be canceled.