Negative Media Coverage Is 'Illegal': Trump Amid Debate Over Kimmel Show

US President Donald Trump.

President Donald Trump on Friday criticized US media coverage, claiming it was excessively negative and potentially "illegal," fueling a debate about free speech following ABC's suspension of comedian Jimmy Kimmel's television show.

"They'll take a great story and they'll make it bad. See I think it's really illegal, personally," Trump, who has initiated legal action against several major news organizations this year, told journalists in the Oval Office.

The 79-year-old Republican, known for his avid television viewing habits, primarily directed his criticism at US television networks, repeating his assertion that media coverage of him and his administration is "97 percent bad."

He also expressed support for Federal Communications Commission (FCC) head Brendan Carr, whose warnings to broadcasters have ignited a nationwide conversation about free speech and caused concern even among some Republicans.

On Wednesday, Carr criticized Kimmel's comments regarding the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and threatened potential sanctions against broadcasters that air his show.

Shortly afterward, ABC announced an indefinite suspension of Kimmel's show.

During Friday's remarks, Trump described Carr as "an incredible American patriot with courage."

Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a strong Trump supporter, however, expressed concern about government entities determining acceptable speech.

Regarding Carr's threat to impose fines on broadcasters or revoke their licenses based on show content, Cruz made a comparison to a Martin Scorsese gangster film.

"I got to say that's right out of 'Goodfellas'," Cruz remarked. "That's right out of a mafioso coming into a bar going, 'Nice bar you have here. It would be a shame if something happened to it.'"

Trump himself experienced a setback in his personal campaign against media outlets when a federal judge issued a strongly worded ruling dismissing his $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times.