(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump sparked a wave of criticism on Tuesday when he attacked ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl for asking him about Attorney General Pam Bondi’s vow to crack down on “hate speech” related to the murder of Charlie Kirk.
“What do you make of Pam Bondi saying she’s going to go after hate speech? Is that, I mean, a lot of people, a lot of your allies say hate speech is free speech?” Karl asked Trump, referring to the backlash Bondi faced from both the left and the right for her remarks.
Trump snapped at Karl, “She’d probably go after people like you! Because you treat me so unfairly! It’s hate! You have a lot of hate in your heart!”
“Would that be appropriate?” Karl replied.
“Maybe they’ll come after ABC. Well, ABC paid me $16 million recently for a form of hate speech, right? Your company paid me $16 million for a form of hate speech, so maybe they’ll have to go after you,” Trump added.
Trump’s remarks quickly set off alarm bells among his critics.
“Donald Trump says he will send the DOJ after the press if they say things he doesn’t like,” wrote California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) while sharing the clip.
“The party of free speech strikes again,” replied Fox News host Jessica Tarlov.
Below are some additional replies:
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