BURSTMinnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) hammered ABC’s decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel off air this week, arguing it is “North Korea-style stuff” that is being done because of President Trump.
“It’s one of the most outrageous affronts on this. This is North Korea-style stuff. And it’s being done because this is a weak, thin-skinned man who’s failing as a president," Walz said on MSNBC’s “All In with Chris Hayes" on Thursday evening. "All of the things he promised are not happening and this is exactly what dictators do."
“It’s our most cherished freedom to point out very clearly, this is a terrible president and a terrible human being who is doing nothing to improve the lives of Minnesotans and who continues to have this double standard, because I just want to be very clear, there is no place for political violence, and we condemn it,” Walz told Hayes, referencing the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk last week.
ABC indefinitely suspended host Jimmy Kimmel’s show on Wednesday after the comedian received pushback over comments he made about the fatal shooting of Kirk last week in Utah.
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang 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,” Kimmel said during Monday's episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
The decision was met with heavy criticism by Democrats but was celebrated by President Trump and other administration officials. Some on the left called on the head of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Brendan Carr, to resign after ABC's announcement.
Carr, ahead of the suspension, called on broadcasters “to step up and say this garbage to the extent that that’s what comes down the pipe in the future isn’t something that we think serves the needs of our local communities," during an appearance on conservative commentator Benny Johnson’s podcast.
Walz suggested he was not surprised by the moves.
“But none of this surprises me with Donald Trump, but Chris, I think the thing I am concerned about is ... this is not overreacting. This is our responsibility now. Getting a democracy back after it's gone is a lot harder than defending it now,” Walz said.
“And so I would just tell people this, and it's good to see, good to see some of those conservative voices standing up and saying that, because this one is not even close," he added. "This is outrageous.”
ABC’s decision came after Nexstar Media Group, which owns The Hill, said its local affiliates would preempt Kimmel’s show.
Kimmel was planning to touch on Carr’s remarks on Wednesday but was talked out of it, according to reporting from The Wall Journal.
Trump also suggested on Thursday that late-night shows and networks should not be allowed to overwhelmingly be critical of him. The Minnesota governor did not agree.
“And look, we can all speak, you know, inarticulately. We can make mistakes. We can step back," he told Hayes. "But the idea that they're going to chill speech just because it's critical... Because look, this isn't about any other type of speech, other than what Donald Trump's views as anti-Trump, he said it."
“This isn't even about what was spoken about Charlie Kirk's murder," he added. "This is about he said it ... you're against Trump. You're against Trump.”