Picture by Alex Wong/Getty Photos
If solely there have been a time period for that… oh proper, authoritarianism.
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Donald Trump is throwing a tantrum over CBS’s refusal to fluff his ego. He has demanded CBS lose its broadcasting license for the unforgivable crime of… journalism. The horror!
And whereas Trump spent his Sunday night rage-posting on Fact Social, accusing CBS of “fraudulent reporting,” former GOP congressman Adam Kinzinger took to X (previously Twitter) to ship the sort of verbal smackdown that leaves a mark.
Effectively fortunately now we have a structure that may far outlast your fats, nasty self @POTUS pic.twitter.com/tsnwBlnI7J
— Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraini) 🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@AdamKinzinger) April 14, 2025
If there’s a corridor of fame for one-liners that completely encapsulate the sheer absurdity of Trump’s ego, Kinzinger simply earned himself a lifetime membership.
Whereas Trump continues his scorched-earth marketing campaign towards anybody who refuses to bow all the way down to him, Kinzinger has emerged as one of many few Republicans prepared to name out the president’s antics for what they’re: a unending pity celebration disguised as populism. Kinzinger, as soon as a rising star within the Republican Occasion, spent a lot of his profession representing Illinois’ sixteenth Congressional District, a largely conservative space. However not like most of his GOP colleagues, Kinzinger broke ranks after January 6, 2021, when Trump’s rhetoric culminated in a violent riot on the Capitol.
Kinzinger’s determination to hitch the January sixth Committee and publicly condemn Trump’s function within the assault earned him the ire of the MAGA devoted. However as a substitute of retreating into political obscurity, he’s doubled down, utilizing his platform to name out Trump’s authoritarian tendencies and the GOP’s cult-like loyalty to him.
It began with the Sunday night episode of 60 Minutes, which featured a section on the Russia-Ukraine struggle and one other on Trump’s weird obsession with annexing Greenland. This system additionally included an interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who criticized the U.S.’s shifting tone towards Russia below Trump’s management and invited Trump to go to Ukraine to witness the devastation firsthand. Trump did what he does finest: deflect, distort, and distract. He accused CBS of “deceitful modifying” throughout a 2024 interview with Kamala Harris, claimed the community is a part of a grand conspiracy to undermine him, and even introduced up his $20 billion lawsuit towards CBS—a lawsuit that, very similar to his election fraud claims, appears extra rooted in fantasy than reality.
Trump’s calls for for CBS to lose its broadcasting license are as laughable as they’re harmful. For one, the Federal Communications Fee (FCC) doesn’t license networks like CBS—it licenses particular person stations. And even when it may revoke a community’s license, the concept that unfavorable protection constitutes a authorized violation is ludicrous. Information organizations have a First Modification proper to report on public figures, even when that reporting makes these public figures uncomfortable.
Our fragile experiment in self-governance depends upon a free press, even (particularly) when that press covers subjects unflattering to these in energy. And truthfully, if Trump can’t deal with 60 Minutes, how precisely was he planning to deal with Putin for one more 4 years? Simply meals for thought.
