French President Emmanuel Macron found himself foot-stopped on a New York street while the city cleared the way for President Trump’s motorcade, and rather than sulk the French leader picked up the phone and called the American president with a wink and a joke. The exchange — Macron quipping that “everything’s frozen for you” while waiting for the convoy to pass — was a small but telling moment at the 80th U.N. General Assembly that underscored who runs the show when American security and protocol are in motion. Ordinary New Yorkers saw a leader joking on the sidewalk while world leaders shuffled through tight schedules, reminding us that America’s presidency carries real, practical authority on the ground.
Make no mistake, the motorcade episode is not about vanity; it is about the reality of American power and the respect that flows from it. Conservatives should take pride in a leader whose presence demands national security measures anywhere he goes, while the global left grovels for attention and validation. Macron’s polite phone call to Trump showed deference to an American institution rather than the globe-trotting posturing we usually get from EU elites, and that contrast deserves to be pointed out.
At the same time the left’s loudest voices continue to escalate into threats and intimidation when they don’t get their way, and Keith Olbermann’s recent social media outburst makes the point painfully clear. Olbermann posted and then deleted messages aimed at CNN commentator Scott Jennings that included the line, “You’re next, motherfucker,” prompting Jennings to call the FBI’s attention to the threat. The deleted posts and the need for law enforcement scrutiny show that the left’s rhetorical violence is now a predictable part of their playbook.
Conservative Americans should demand accountability when a pundit crosses the line from tough talk into threats, regardless of political affiliation, and Olbermann’s belated apology — insisting he meant Jennings’ career and not physical harm — rings hollow after the screenshots circulated. The media establishment that clutches pearls over a conservative tweet but excuses or minimizes violent rhetoric from the left is exposing its hypocrisy in plain sight. We need consequences for speech that veers into intimidation, and we need networks to stop giving platforms to people who normalize threats against political opponents.
Meanwhile, the ABC-Disney saga over Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension and reinstatement shows how quickly corporate media caves and then scrambles when conservative backlash hits home. ABC briefly suspended Kimmel after his ill-timed comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk, only to bring him back days later amid affiliate pressure and financial consequences. The whole affair illustrates a rotten media ecosystem that punishes conservatives for perceived slights but will reverse course when advertisers, affiliates, and viewers push back hard enough.
That pushback is exactly what free speech and marketplace accountability look like in action: companies make decisions, the public reacts, and networks are forced to answer to viewers rather than operate in a left-wing echo chamber. Conservatives must keep pressing where it hurts — in boardrooms, on social platforms, and in the ratings — until the media industry learns that partisan privilege has costs. If Disney and ABC think they can lecture the country while counting on complacent audiences, they were plainly mistaken.
All of these media and personality fights are playing out against the tragic backdrop of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, which has rightly focused the nation on the deadly consequences of political extremism. The killing on September 10 sent shockwaves through the country and should sober every commentator and provocateur about the real-world stakes of their rhetoric. President Trump and others have warned that demonizing opponents can help create an atmosphere where violence happens, and every responsible American should insist on civility, accountability, and law enforcement where threats are made.
