The Trump administration wasted no time this week using the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk for political gain, as the president and his cohort launched a broad campaign to shame and silence opponents whose reactions to the killing were deemed unsavory.
Late night host Jimmy Kimmel was suspended Wednesday by ABC after his Kirk monologue drew the ire of Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr. A Washington Post columnist was fired over social media posts about the killing that garnered direct criticism from Vice President JD Vance. On a posthumous episode of “The Charlie Kirk Show” on Monday, Vance directed his followers to identify people who celebrated Kirk’s death, and “hell, call their employers.”
Kimmel’s suspension has been roundly criticized as a government-sponsored assault on free speech. But Trump — who has sparred publicly with Kimmel for years — is taking a victory lap.
“Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED,” Trump wrote on social media. “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done.”
Meanwhile, Trump got the royal treatment this week as King Charles III hosted the president and hundreds of other guests at Windsor Castle for a lavish multiday affair aimed at smoothing over trade and security relations between the U.S. and U.K.
See previous updates here, and read the latest below:
Helicopter Carrying Trump To London Airport Experienced ‘Minor Hydraulic Issue’: White House
The White House announced that the helicopter carrying Trump to London’s Stansted Airport on Thursday experienced a “minor hydraulic issue,” prompting an unscheduled landing at a local airfield.
No one was injured as a result of the reported issue, the White House added. The president got to Stansted with a backup and has now left the U.K.
