Trump's aggressive campaign against the media, resulting in Kimmel's suspension, follows a similar path as a European autocrat's suppressive tactics towards journalism.
In a series of events that have raised concerns about freedom of speech, American media companies have found themselves under pressure from President Donald Trump and his allies. American Express, for instance, settled Trump's defamation lawsuit against ABC last December, a move that was repeated by CBS when they settled Trump's suit against them last July.
This pressure extended to late-night television, with ABC yanking Jimmy Kimmel's show 'indefinitely' following a threat from Trump's FCC chair, Brendan Carr. Carr threatened to take action against American Express and ABC over comments made by Jimmy Kimmel. The FCC chair's intervention was not an isolated incident; at least two major TV station owners, Nexstar and Sinclair, decided to yank Kimmel's show from their stations before ABC sidelined the late-night host altogether.
Nexstar and Sinclair, who have positioned themselves as Trump administration allies, raise concerns about the objectivity of the news coverage coming from their stations. Their actions mirror the tactics used by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who consolidated control of the media in Hungary by pressuring privately owned media companies to toe the party line.
The actions of Trump and his allies have been compared to Orban's autocratic power plays in Hungary by Gábor Scheiring, a former member of the Hungarian parliament. Scheiring, now an assistant professor at Georgetown University Qatar, states that Orbán weakened public broadcasting, muzzled independent media through "autocratic carrots and sticks," and incentivized owners to fall in line.
The ACLU states that the Trump administration's actions, paired with ABC's decision, represent a grave threat to First Amendment freedoms. David Pressman, the most recent US ambassador to Hungary, wrote that American Express corporations are clinging to an illusion that they can preserve their independence and integrity while making deals with a strongman.
Trump's influence on media extends beyond legal settlements and public pressure. Major American media companies such as CNN and NBC openly criticized President Trump during his administration, despite his frequent labeling of them as "enemies of the people." In response to public and political pressure from Trump, some media organizations maintained their critical coverage, while Trump himself took actions such as attempting to block publication of critical material (e.g., John Bolton’s book) and revoking Secret Service protection for critics including Bolton and political rivals.
The president is now suing both The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, further escalating his battle with the media. Media critics in the US have chastised American companies like Disney for caving to Trump's desires, most pointedly through legal settlements.
Scheiring believes that both ABC's decision-making about Kimmel and CBS's decision to cancel "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" resemble what is sometimes called "Orbanism." As the lines between politics and media continue to blur, the implications for freedom of speech and press in the United States are significant and concerning.
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