The hypocrisy of right-wing free speech politics
Now, to the can of worms Kimmel’s suspension has opened. During his infamous monologue, Kimmel criticized U.S. President Donald Trump’s response to the death of mainstream Republican social media influencer Charlie Kirk. Kirk was fatally shot on Sept. 10, around noon. In an address to the nation that evening, Trump praised Kirk immensely and vowed to ensure Kirk’s “voice, his message, and his legacy will live on for countless generations to come.” The White House flags even flew at half-mast. On Sept. 12, a mere day and a half later, Trump was asked how he was holding up over Kirk’s shock death, to which he responded, “I think very good,” and proceeded to gush about the construction of his new ballroom: “It’s going to be a beauty.” Oh, how Kirk’s legacy thrives.
Kimmel’s contentious monologue included a critique of FBI head Kash Patel’s appearance on Fox News, where Patel answered a question regarding a report he gave 24 hours into the search, falsely claiming the alleged shooter had been caught. Kimmel compared Patel’s handling of the investigation to a kid bullshitting a book report.
It was Kimmel’s highly controversial comment on the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement’s response to Kirk’s death which really irked some Trump supporters. MAGA is a nationalist movement that idealizes the United States, characterizing it as a country in which every American has the opportunity to live rich and full lives, and all that is needed to achieve this idyllic dream is determination and hard work. Unfortunately, this is a highly misleading representation, constructed by those in possession of wealth who don’t face the same challenges as the lower classes. Additionally, MAGA is highly nativist, excluding immigrants from their perfect America, and othering those who have gained citizenship. Kimmel joked MAGA had “hit some new lows,” stating they were “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.” Many MAGA Republicans interpreted this comment as Kimmel calling the alleged shooter a MAGA Republican, and the entire monologue caught fire for supposedly mocking Kirk’s death.
First, this is not Kimmel saying the shooter was a MAGA Republican. That is senseless. Why would a Republican have killed Kirk? Kimmel’s comment refers to the great lengths MAGA has taken – unproportionate and entirely unnecessary lengths – in blaming the left for Kirk’s death. On Sept. 15, during The Charlie Kirk Show, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said, “we have to talk about this incredibly destructive movement of left-wing extremism that has grown up over the last few years, and I believe is part of the reason why Charlie was killed.” This is a completely reasonable statement. I agree. There is a discussion to be had. The alleged shooter should not be celebrated, nor should his actions be condoned or endorsed.
Unfortunately, Vance undermines this sensible statement when he says: “while our side of the isle certainly has its crazies, it is a statistical fact that most of the lunatics in American politics today are proud members of the far left.” This is a completely unreasonable and baseless statement. It is a blatant lie. In fact, numerous studies reveal the exact opposite. “Far-left versus Far-right Fatal Violence: An Empirical Assessment of the Prevalence of Ideological Motivated Homicides in the United States,” a study from the journal Criminology, Criminal Justice, Law, and Society, concludes data from the U.S. Extremist Crime Database reveals “the overall prevalence and deadliness of far-right extremism far outweighs that of the far-left.” It does note an increase in far-left extremism, though.
This smear campaign MAGA has launched against the left is what Kimmel referred to as MAGA’s “new lows” – the act of unabashedly lying to the public to gain their favor. MAGA is using Kirk’s death as a catalyst to displace the connotations of right-wing extremism’s lurid history of violence onto the left. As for the identity of the shooter, Kimmel’s use of “anything other than one of them” is not him implying the shooter was Republican. It is not a figurative statement. There is no secret, backhanded meaning. Kimmel is simply acknowledging the excessive nature of MAGA’s smear campaign against the left, as though MAGA feels they must drag the left through the mud to disassociate political extremism from the right.
Kimmel was suspended on Sept. 17, instantly provoking concerns over the future of free speech in America. His suspension was confirmed “indefinitely” by ABC, but the suspension was ultimately overturned, and Kimmel was reinstated in five days. Two days later, Vance said, “on the free speech conversation, I’m pretty sure that Jimmy Kimmel was back on the air last night.” A very enthusiastic defense. Remind me, did you fight “every single day to protect” Kimmel’s right to free speech? No. You did not. A whole week passed in silence. The people fought, while you turned your head in ignorance.
The Trump administration’s commitment to defending free speech should come with the clause: unless we are able to manipulate the violation into something else, so we do not have to defend you. They reshape situations like Kimmel and CBS’s Stephen Colbert, another late-night host who was suspended earlier this year, into matters of popularity, claiming poor ratings. They avoid legal battles by using puppets such as the U.S. government Federal Communications Committee (FCC) Chair Brendon Carr, who was appointed one of the five commissioners of the FCC by Trump during his first presidency and appointed the head by Trump upon his return to office this year. Carr’s statement following Kimmel’s monologue addressed broadcasting companies: “we can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.” This is a literal threat, against ABC specifically, but it also applies to other broadcasting companies that air so-called liberal content.
Vance’s claim that the government has not pressured the population against exercising their right to free speech is a blatant lie. From Trump’s manic tirades against liberal media, such as the 60 Minutes debacle I discussed in my previous article, to his middlemen, such as Carr, the government has done nothing but pressure the population against exercising their right to free speech.