Split emerges among Republican senators on Trump's targeting of media in wake of Jimmy Kimmel furor

Source: The Independent

Sunday 21 September 2025 13:02 EDT


Republicans on Capitol Hill are not entirely comfortable with Donald Trump’s efforts to suppress dissenting views on the mainstream broadcast and cable channels, and a divide is emerging in the party over the efforts by the administration to pressure ABC into suspending Jimmy Kimmel indefinitely last week.

On Sunday, two recurring critics of the president within his own party were on the Sunday talk circuit reacting to Kimmel’s suspension. The Jimmy Kimmel Live! host was pulled from the airwaves last week after making comments about the shooting death of Charlie Kirk on his show and accusing Republicans of exploiting the moment for recriminations against the left.

Sen. Rand Paul told NBC’s Meet the Press that companies like ABC had the right to make content choices based on the reactions of their audiences, but stressed that the Trump administration went too far with the direct involvement of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and its chair, Brendan Carr. The Trump-appointed chair publicly threatened Kimmel and ABC in the hours before the host’s suspension.

“The government's got no business in it, and the FCC was wrong to weigh in,” Paul said on Sunday. “Brendan Carr's got no business weighing in on this.”

Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-jimmy-kimmel-republicans-media-censorship-b2830853.html