Gov. Josh Shapiro says Trump’s threats to revoke TV licenses are an attempt to ‘stifle dissent’

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Friday accused the Trump administration of “trying to stifle dissent” after ABC removed late-night comedy host Jimmy Kimmel from the airwaves this week following comments from a federal regulator.

“Without question, they’re trying to stifle dissent,” Shapiro, a Democrat, told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker, also characterizing the move as “extremely dangerous.”

Shapiro’s comments come after President Donald Trump suggested that the television networks were “97% against” him and that those who give him “bad publicity” should have their federal broadcasting licenses revoked^[1] during a Thursday night gaggle aboard Air Force One.

“And if they’re 97% against, they give me only bad publicity, press,” Trump said. “I mean, they’re getting a license. I would think maybe their license should be taken away.”

Ultimately, the president said the decision would be up to Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr.

Shapiro on Friday said that his reaction to the Kimmel suspension was “fear” and “worry for our country.”

“Our foundational principle in this country, which has roots in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania — William Penn settled here in the 1680s — is about freedom of expression, freedom of speech. And to see that being undermined by the long arm of the federal government is extremely dangerous,” the Pennsylvania governor said.

He added that, “whether you agree with Jimmy Kimmel or not, whether you found him funny or not, to fire someone because he told a joke about the president repeatedly, and the president didn’t like it, to fire him because he was inartful in his words in the wake of the killing of Charlie Kirk … that is dangerous.”

Kimmel’s suspension comes as the administration has ratcheted up threats against media organizations and calls to investigate groups it deems to be part of the “radical left^[2]” in the wake of the conservative activist’s assassination.^[3] The president and his allies have an extensive history^[4] of attacking the media.

Most recently, on Friday, a judge threw out^[5] a recent lawsuit Trump had filed against The New York Times and four of its reporters, accusing them of defamation^[6].

Last year, Trump sued ABC News, accusing anchor George Stephanopoulos of making “false and disparaging” statements about him. ABC agreed to pay $15 million^[7] to a presidential foundation for Trump as part of the settlement in that case. And earlier this year, Paramount, the owner of CBS News, agreed to pay $16 million^[8] to settle a lawsuit from Trump that accused the network of deceptively editing an interview of his former rival, then-Vice President Kamala Harris.

ABC announced Wednesday that Kimmel, the host of the daily late-night program, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” would not be appearing on the network “indefinitely^[9]“ following commentary he made on air about the man accused in the fatal shooting.

“The MAGA gang [is] desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said Monday about Tyler Robinson, who is accused of fatally shooting Kirk^[10] at an event at Utah Valley University last week.

Robinson was charged this week^[11] with aggravated murder, among other counts. Bullet casings left at the crime scene referenced fascism^[12], obscure internet memes and video games. Robinson’s mother told investigators^[13] that over the last year, her son had become “more political and had started to lean more to the left, becoming more pro-gay and trans rights oriented.” She also said that Robinson had begun to date his roommate, who “was transitioning genders.”

Carr criticized Kimmel’s comments from earlier in the week in the wake of Kirk’s assassination^[14] during an interview Wednesday with a conservative commentator^[15], calling Kimmel’s remarks “truly sick.” He added that, “This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney,” ABC’s parent company.

“The FCC could make a strong argument that this is sort of an intentional effort to mislead the American people about a very core fundamental fact, a very important matter,” Carr added in the interview.

Carr joined Fox News on Thursday, saying that he didn’t think the Kimmel suspension “is the last shoe to drop.”

“I don’t think this is the last shoe to drop. This is a massive shift that’s taking place in the media ecosystem. I think the consequences are going to continue to flow,” he said, suggesting that if broadcasters don’t like being held “accountable … they can turn their license in to the FCC.”

In the days following ABC’s announcement, officials and activists on both sides of the political spectrum raised concerns that the network was bowing down to threats from a member of the federal government, saying that it raised concerns about free speech and free expression.

Asked by Welker whether he believed the Trump administration was trying to stifle dissent, Shapiro said yes, “without question.”

“The president, in his own words … made clear he wants to look at the licenses and the certifications for particular media outlets if all they’re doing is attacking Trump,” Shapiro added.

On Friday, Shapiro said that free speech is “the bedrock” of the U.S.

“I mean, listen, the bedrock of our free society is the freedom of speech, the freedom for someone like you to ask me questions and opine about my work, whether I agree with you or not, whether I like what you report or not,” the governor told Welker. “You’ve got the freedom and the right to be able to do that, and that is something that protects all of us, all of us and it is dangerous what this president is engaged in.”