Trump Calls For Kimmel’s Firing Over ‘Expectant Widow’ Joke
Forbes • • nation
Key Points:
- President Donald Trump demanded the firing of ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel after Kimmel joked about Melania Trump having “a glow like an expectant widow” shortly before a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.
- Trump initially called for unity following the shooting, praising moments of reconciliation between Democrats and the press, but later criticized 60 Minutes correspondent Norah O’Donnell for reading a portion of the shooter’s manifesto that Trump perceived as an attack on him.
- ABC previously suspended Kimmel temporarily after he made politically charged comments about a shooting suspect, following pressure from the Federal Communications Commission; Trump has also clashed with ABC over its coverage, including suing the network for defamation and calling for revocation of its broadcast licenses.
- Critics, including Leavitt, argue that inflammatory rhetoric and false labeling of Trump as a fascist or threat to democracy contribute to violence, urging reflection on the similarities between such rhetoric and the shooter’s manifesto.
