Trump’s moves to silence critics in media
The suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night TV show after regulatory pressure from the FCC* is the latest move by U.S. President Trump and his allies to silence his critics – described by some as state censorship
Claim
Settlement
Sep 17: ABC
Nexstar Communications Group which operates 23 ABC affiliates pulls Jimmy Kimmel Live! following comments on Charlie Kirk assassination. ABC suspends show indefinitely after threats from Trump-appointed FCC head Brendan Carr. 
Sep 15: New York Times,
Penguin Random House Sued for “defamatory” articles and 2024 book Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success
$15bn
Jul 18: The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, 
News Corp and Rupert Murdoch
Sued over article on ties to Jeffrey Epstein
$10bn
Jul 2025: NPR, PBS
Publicly funded “biased media” defunded
Dec 2024: ABC
Agrees to pay after comments by anchor George Stephanopoulos on Trump’s sex abuse case brought by writer E. Jean Carroll
$15m
Nov 2024: The Des Moines Register, Gannett
Sued over opinion poll ahead of U.S. election showing Kamala
Harris leading Trump by 3% in Iowa
Oct 2024: Paramount
Sued for “deceptive editing” of Kamala Harris interview. Settled Jul 2025
$20bn
$16m
Oct 2024: CBS
Sued over “deceptive editing” of interview with Harris
$10bn
Jan 2023: Simon & Schuster
Recording and copyright lawsuit over use of audio of Trump interviews by author Bob Woodward
Oct 2022: CNN
Sued for defamation over use of term “the big lie” and comparisons to Hitler to describe false claims of 2020 election result. Case dismissed Jul 2023
$10bn
*Federal Communications Commission
Sources: Reuters, Associated Press, BBC
Pictures: Getty Images
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