President Trump’s warning to “test ABC” after the network reinstated Jimmy Kimmel is not theater — it’s a message that conservative Americans have been waiting to hear. After six days in what many viewed as a politically motivated suspension, Trump blasted the decision on social media and said he was considering legal action against ABC for what he called an “illegal campaign contribution.” The president is right to call out a media establishment that behaves like a partisan arm of the left instead of a press serving the public.
ABC yanked Kimmel’s show the week of September 17 after the late-night host’s monologue about the tragic killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk set off a firestorm, only to quietly reinstate the program on September 23 amid furious public debate. The network’s flip-flop — suspending him under pressure and then restoring him after a backlash — exposed how fragile editorial independence has become when networks answer more to woke talent and political operatives than to viewers. Local affiliates in many markets still refused to air the show, which only proves how fractured the broadcast landscape is when national networks play politics.
What turned this from cable theater into a full-blown constitutional fight was the intervention of the FCC chairman, who publicly suggested broadcasters ought to be held to account and even hinted at license scrutiny. That kind of regulatory intimidation from Washington dangling licenses like a threat is precisely what should alarm every American who values free speech and a free press not intimidated by the Oval Office. If government officials can weaponize licensing power to police political jokes, no one on either side of the aisle is safe.
Still, legal scholars point out a crucial reality: campaign finance laws include a longstanding “press exemption” that protects news stories, commentary, and editorials — even those that favor one side — from being treated as illegal in-kind contributions. The law and longstanding FEC practice make clear that media entities, operating as press organizations, have wide latitude to air political commentary without it being a campaign finance violation. Trump’s legal theory about ABC committing an “illegal campaign contribution” is therefore shaky on its face, even if his political instincts about media bias resonate with many voters.
The bigger fight isn’t about arcane FEC rules so much as the alarming precedent of government “jawboning” big media companies to discipline voices they dislike. First Amendment experts have called the FCC’s public pressure a dangerous overreach that risks chilling political expression across the board, and that’s worth opposing whether you like Kimmel’s jokes or not. Conservatives should not let left-wing networks pretend they are victims when government pressure bends them to political will; equally, we must resist officials using their office to browbeat critics into silence.
This episode should stiffen the spines of every conservative leader and voter: hold the media to account with your wallets and your voices, not by surrendering to government censorship. President Trump’s threat to litigate is a reminder that the fight for free speech and fair reporting will be fought in courts, markets, and the court of public opinion. Patriots should rally for true press freedom — which means no cozy deals, no regulatory blackmail, and no one above honest scrutiny.
