President Donald Trump sharply criticized late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, dismissing him as a “lowlife” and saying he neither heard nor cared about any apology from the comedian.
“I haven’t heard him apologize, but he’s a lowlife, whether he apologized or not,” Trump said during “The Record With Greta Van Susteren,” adding that Kimmel “shouldn’t be on television” and accusing his show of being entirely anti-Republican.
Trump went on to question ABC’s decision to continue airing Kimmel’s program, suggesting the network may be misusing public airwaves and warning that it could be placing itself “in great jeopardy.”
The comments come in the wake of backlash over a joke Kimmel made ahead of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, where he remarked that the first lady had “a glow like an expectant widow,” a statement that drew sharp criticism from Trump allies.
In the days that followed, a shooting at the annual event—reported as targeting Trump—brought heightened attention to Kimmel’s remarks. The president and his supporters argued that such rhetoric contributed to a dangerous political atmosphere, while Kimmel maintained that he did not intend to incite violence and rejects it.
The controversy has since broadened into a regulatory issue involving federal oversight.
According to multiple reports, the Federal Communications Commission has accelerated its review of broadcast licenses held by ABC-owned stations, expediting what is usually a routine renewal process.
FCC officials have indicated that the review is based on wider concerns about corporate conduct and compliance, rather than any single show. Still, the timing—coming after Trump’s public criticism of Kimmel and ABC—has led to questions about whether the move is politically driven.
In his phone interview with Greta Van Susteren on Newsmax, Trump linked his remarks about Kimmel to broader concerns about the network, referencing prior disputes with ABC and its journalists while describing the current situation as “very serious.”
{Matzav.com}