Melania Trump criticizes Jimmy Kimmel and calls for ABC action

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President Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump have called for ABC TV network to take action against comedian Jimmy Kimmel over a joke made about her. The comment, which likened Mrs. Trump to an expectant widow, was made during an “alternative” White House correspondents dinner on Kimmel’s show last Thursday.

The First Lady responded by accusing the host of deepening “the political sickness within America” with his comedy. She also criticized ABC for not taking action against Kimmel, stating that he should be fired.

President Trump has also called for Kimmel to be sacked by Disney and ABC, citing the comedian’s behavior as a threat to the community. The President described the joke as “despicable” and linked it to recent violence outside the White House correspondents dinner.

ABC had previously suspended Kimmel after the Trump administration threatened to take action against the network over commentary suggesting that the killer of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk may have been a Republican. However, the network reinstated Kimmel less than a week later following backlash from free speech advocates.

The White House has since echoed the Trumps’ criticism, with spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt blaming “deranged lies and smears” against the President for political violence targeting him. The incident comes as the debate over free speech, polarising rhetoric, and political violence grows louder in the United States.

It is worth noting that the First Amendment of the US Constitution bans government censorship of speech, but some have raised concerns about the limits of free speech in public discourse.

Source: Al Jazeera