Trump's assault on the media goes into overdrive

Donald Trump has warned that media outlets that are "against" him could be punished as his administration's crackdown on opponents intensifies after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, raising fears for freedom of speech in America.

- Charlotte McDonald-Gibson

Soon after the talkshow host Jimmy Kimmel was taken off air for saying the Maga movement wanted to exploit Kirk's death, Trump told reporters that US television networks were "97% against me". "They give me only bad publicity," he said.

"I would think maybe their licence should be taken away."

Trump and his allies vow to dismantle what they call the "radical left" after Kirk's death. Stephen Miller, Trump's deputy chief of staff, has blamed "a vast domestic terror movement" for the killing.

Trump has long been critical of mainstream US media, calling it "fake news". In 2019, he called the press "the enemy of the people". In the last 10 months, Trump has escalated his war on the press with legal cases and policy moves.

"This moment must be recognised for what it is: an extraordinary assault on free speech in the United States," the media freedom group, PEN America, said in a statement. Here is a list of the Trump administration's targets so far:

New York Times