On this day, September 18, 2025, at 4:52 PM, I John Presco found
NIGHT NATION NETWORK
With the attack on Jimmy Kimmel, the host of the
TONIGHT SHOW
a door has been opened to
NIGHT NATION
A Sanctuary for Arts, Crafts, and Entertainment.
John Presco
Trump floats pulling licenses if networks are ‘against’ him after Jimmy Kimmel suspended
Published Thu, Sep 18 20252:46 PM EDTUpdated 4 Hours Ago
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Key Points
- President Donald Trump suggested that the federal government might revoke the licenses of broadcast television networks that are “against” him.
- Trump’s comment came a day after ABC suspended airing the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” show because of comments its host made linking the alleged killer of Charlie Kirk to Trump’s MAGA movement.
- Trump said it would be up to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr to decide whether to cancel networks’ licences.
In this article
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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to a state visit in Britain, Sept. 16, 2025.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
President Donald Trump on Thursday suggested that the federal government might revoke the licenses of broadcast television networks that are “against” him.
Trump’s comment came a day after ABC suspended airing the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” show because of comments its host made linking the alleged killer of conservative activist Charlie Kirk to Trump’s MAGA movement.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr earlier on Wednesday had hinted that the broadcast license of ABC — which is a subsidiary of Disney — was at risk if it did not “take action on Kimmel.”
Speaking on Thursday to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said, “I have read someplace that the networks were 97% against me, again, 97% negative, and yet I won and easily, all seven swing states,” referring to his 2024 election win.
“They give me only bad publicity, press. I mean, they’re getting a license,” Trump said, according to audio from a press gaggle provided by the White House.
“I would think maybe their license should be taken away,” Trump said.
The president said that the decision “will be up to Brendan Carr.”
Trump specifically referred to criticism he has gotten from Kimmel and CBS late-night talk-show host Stephen Colbert.
“Look, that’s something that should be talked about for licensing, too,” Trump said.
“When you have a network and you have evening shows, and all they do is hit Trump,” he said. “That’s all they do. 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. They’re licensed. They’re not allowed to do that. They’re an arm of the Democrat party,” he said.
Carr earlier Thursday told CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” that “we’re not done yet” with changes in “the media ecosystem” that are consequences of Trump’s election.
“I think Brendan Carr is outstanding, he’s a patriot,” said Trump, who nominated Carr to his position.
“He loves our country, and he’s a tough guy. So we’ll have to see.”
Broadcast television stations affiliated with networks, including ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox, must receive a license from the FCC to operate because their content is transmitted over the air, and is technically free for viewers as long as they have an antenna.
That contrasts with cable TV networks, whose subscribers pay fees to distributors to watch.
— CNBC’s Lillian Rizzo contributed to this story.
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal, which owns CNBC. Versant would become the new parent company of CNBC upon Comcast’s planned spinoff of Versant.
Occupy Democrats
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BREAKING: WOW. Late-night TV icon David Letterman publicly TRASHES Trump and Big Media for axing Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colberts’ shows in an obviously political attempt to muzzle Trump’s most prominent critics.
Speaking to The Atlantic’s Jeffery Goldberg, Letterman says “well, this is a misery. And in the world of somebody who is an authoritarian, maybe a dictatorship, sooner or later everyone is going to be touched. But this is me. For 30 years, I did this for a living. So I see this happen. They took care of Colbert. That was rude. That was inexcusable. The man deserves a great deal of credit. He’s in the Hall of Fame nine times. And to be manipulated like that because the Ellison family didn’t want to trouble Donald Trump with this move.”
“So they got rid of him,” continued Letterman. “ Not only got rid of him, got rid of the whole franchise. You’re not going to have to worry about anything, Larry. It’s all gone. It’s fine. Good night. And then my good friend Jimmy Kimmel. I, you know, I just, I feel bad about this because we all see where this is going, correct? It’s managed media. And it’s no good. It’s silly. It’s ridiculous. And you can’t go around firing somebody because you’re fearful or trying to suck up to an authoritarian criminal administration in the Oval Office. That’s just not how this works.”
He’s absolutely right. These big corporations need to stick by their talent, stick to their principles, and not just go firing people left and right just because the president tells them to! Jimmy Kimmel has been on the air for twenty-three years! Colbert was on the air for a decade! These are American icons being thrown straight into the trash at the behest of a would-be dictator, and it is beyond appalling to witness.
Rosamond Press 
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