President Donald Trump has reignited his battle with the American press, accusing news outlets of unfair coverage and even suggesting that negative reporting about his administration could be “illegal.” His remarks, delivered to reporters in the Oval Office, came just days after ABC abruptly suspended comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show, further fueling concerns about censorship and the limits of free expression.
“They’ll take a great story and they’ll make it bad. See, I think it’s really illegal, personally,” Trump said, repeating his long-standing claim that 97 percent of media coverage about him is unfavorable. The 79-year-old Republican, who has filed multiple defamation lawsuits against major outlets this year, also reserved praise for Federal Communications Commission (FCC) commissioner Brendan Carr.
Carr sparked controversy after lashing out at Kimmel for comments about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, warning broadcasters they could face sanctions if they continued airing his program. Hours later, ABC announced that Kimmel’s show had been suspended indefinitely. The decision ignited a nationwide debate, with critics accusing the government of strong-arming the press.
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Trump defended Carr as “an incredible American patriot with courage,” but even some Republicans pushed back. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas warned against heavy-handed tactics, likening Carr’s threat to fine or revoke broadcasters’ licenses to organized crime. “I got to say, that’s right out of Goodfellas,” Cruz said. “That’s right out of a mafioso coming into a bar, going, ‘Nice bar you have here. It would be a shame if something happened to it.’”
The showdown comes as Trump’s broader war with the press intensifies. His effort to rein in what he calls “fake news” suffered a setback this week after a federal judge dismissed his $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, describing the claims as legally unsound.
At the same time, the Pentagon introduced sweeping new rules that further restrict how journalists cover the U.S. military. Under the new guidelines, outlined in a September 19 memo, media organizations must agree to sign affidavits pledging not to publish material that has not been formally cleared — even if the information is unclassified. Reporters are also losing their ability to move freely within the Pentagon, now requiring escorts in many parts of the building.
While the Department of Defense insists the measures are about safeguarding security, critics argue they amount to censorship. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the rules on social media: “The press does not run the Pentagon — the people do. The press is no longer allowed to roam the halls of a secure facility. Wear a badge and follow the rules — or go home.”
But watchdog groups quickly condemned the changes. A spokesperson for The New York Times called the restrictions “yet another step in a concerning pattern of reducing access to what the U.S. military is undertaking at taxpayer expense.” Mike Balsamo, president of the National Press Club, was even more blunt: “If the news about our military must first be approved by the government, then the public is no longer getting independent reporting. It is getting only what officials want them to see. That should alarm every American.”
Taken together, Trump’s rhetoric, the FCC’s pressure campaign, and the Pentagon’s restrictions highlight an increasingly volatile climate for press freedom in the United States. With battles over censorship, government overreach, and media accountability intensifying, critics warn that the latest developments could set a dangerous precedent for the relationship between government power and independent journalism.
Source: ameyawdebrah.com/
