【By Observer Net, Yuan Jiaqi】

Because of his comments on "Kirk's death", the U.S. popular talk show "Jimmy Kimmel Live" (also known as "Chicken and Egg Show") has been suspended indefinitely by the Trump administration. While in the UK, Trump applauded and also made a threat to revoke the licenses of TV stations that criticized him excessively. At one point, the American media industry was in a state of anxiety.

The Democratic Party naturally opposed this, but surprisingly, there were more and more voices breaking silence within the Republican Party, with more people speaking out against the government's pressure strategy. "Politico" reported that there was a clear division within the Republican Party regarding the Trump administration's pressure tactics.

The most notable was the statement from a prominent figure in the Republican Party, Cruz. According to reports from NBC, Reuters, and others on the 19th, on Friday, Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz criticized FCC Chairman Carr's threats to fine or revoke licenses for broadcasting organizations as "extremely dangerous" during his own podcast.

Cruz, who is the chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, which has jurisdiction over the FCC, said, "I like Carr. He's a good person, he's the chairman of the FCC. I work closely with him, but what he said on this issue is extremely dangerous... 'If we don't like your speech, we'll threaten to shut you down.' This approach is extremely dangerous."

In his podcast, Cruz said he could no longer remember how many times he had been mocked by Kimmel, and he was very "disgusted by Kimmel's comments about Kirk." He admitted that seeing Kimmel's show being suspended made him "happy," but he didn't want the show to be suspended because of government pressure.

Cruz then imitated a heavy mafia accent, quoting Carr's remarks on radio stations this week, "We either settle this amicably or we do it the hard way."

"I have to say, this is like a scene from the movie 'Goodfellas,' " he joked, "like a mobster walking into a bar and saying, 'This bar is nice, it would be a shame if something happened.'"

"We shouldn't use government power to threaten others to shut down," Cruz warned, saying that the Trump administration's actions could set a dangerous precedent and have long-term consequences. "It might feel satisfying now to threaten Jimmy Kimmel, but when such methods are used to suppress all conservative voices in America, we will surely regret it."

He repeatedly emphasized, "Let me say again, I like Carr, but we shouldn't get involved in this. We should condemn it and say Kimmel's comments are 'offensive and despicable,' and that he should be taken off the air. That's fine. But we shouldn't threaten to use government power to force him to shut down. It's really a mistake."

"One day, the Democrats will win back the White House. They will make us quiet, they will use this power ruthlessly. It's dangerous," Cruz added.

Texas Republican Senator Cruz, CNN video screenshot

Notably, Cruz and Trump have had a complicated relationship. Although they had an alliance early on, they fell out during the 2016 U.S. election primary, attacking each other fiercely. After Trump won the primary, Cruz became a close ally, helping him implement plans to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

After Trump returned to the White House in 2025, Cruz worried that Trump's tariff policies would lead to a "bloodbath" for Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections, but he still insisted he was Trump's "most steadfast supporter" in the Senate.

Reuters reported that it is rare for one of the most influential Republicans in Congress to publicly criticize the Trump administration's actions. This statement also highlights the growing concerns about freedom of speech and the Trump administration's threat to suppress dissent.

Regarding this close ally's criticism, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday that he did not agree with Cruz's opinion and praised Carr as "a courageous, incredible outstanding American patriot."

Trump also reiterated that broadcast institutions that criticize his administration might be revoked their FCC-issued licenses. He insisted that he "absolutely supports free speech," but complained that many broadcast institutions' attacks on him were "very unfair." In his view, these institutions had become an extension of the Democratic Party.

"To be honest, I think this widespread criticism is illegal," Trump said when talking about the broad criticism against him. "This is no longer free speech... It's cheating, they're cheating."

On Friday (19th), Trump responded to Cruz's criticism, media video screenshot

"There's a problem, what if the Democrats do the same later?"

Although Trump supported FCC Chairman Carr, not only Cruz, but the opposition within the Republican Party is also increasing.

According to "Politico" on the 18th, several well-known Republicans on Capitol Hill expressed concern about the potential impact of Carr's pressure on the "Chicken and Egg Show."

"We should all remain highly cautious," said Kansas Republican Senator Jerry Moran. "The conservative position is 'free speech is free speech.' We must always be vigilant about whether we cross the line in weakening free speech."

Brett Guthrie, the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, who also has regulatory responsibility over the FCC, warned at an event on Thursday, "We cannot act recklessly just because we disagree with someone's speech. We must be extremely careful to avoid using government power to influence people's speech."

"Politico" noted that these Republican lawmakers did not name Carr in their criticism. North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis directly stated that Cruz's criticism of Carr was "completely correct," and he criticized Carr's behavior as "unacceptable." However, Tillis will not seek re-election next year.

Several other Republicans told "Politico" that they were not concerned about the subsequent impact of the matter. These people mostly described the suspension of the "Chicken and Egg Show" as a "commercial decision," rather than a result of government coercion.

Trump claimed at a press conference in London that the reason for the suspension of the "Chicken and Egg Show" was its low ratings. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Iowa Senator, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, among other supportive Republicans, largely echoed this view.

Ohio Republican Congressman and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan firmly told "Politico," "This is entirely a market-driven decision."

Another White House official tried to distance the president from the matter. He told "Politico" that Trump did not participate in Carr's warning action and did not influence ABC, the network that canceled the show.

"Politico" reported that these comments indicate that Republicans have different opinions on Carr's pressure tactics, and there is a clear division within the party on the issue of "free speech."

Kimmel's recent episode discussing Kirk's death, video screenshot

Meanwhile, Democrats are seizing the opportunity to strongly criticize Carr's actions. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries even vowed to investigate the matter thoroughly if the Democrats regain power in the midterms.

Senate Minority Leader, Democrat Chuck Schumer led calls for Carr to resign. He criticized Carr as "one of the greatest threats to free speech in American history."

On Friday, some House Democrats requested the FCC inspector general to investigate Carr's actions and statements. The day before, 11 Democratic senators also jointly wrote to Carr, asking him to respond by September 25 on the issue of "pressuring shows to stop broadcasting."

Carr and the FCC have not responded to requests for comment, but Carr said earlier this week that he "would not resign" and that he would continue to push forward with work on media companies, defending so-called "public interest."

"Politico" analyzed that the situation for the Republicans is more complex, and their positions are far from unified.

As a moderate, Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski admitted she had doubts about whether Carr's handling was appropriate. When asked if this would set a problematic precedent if the Democrats took power, she gave a definite affirmative answer.

According to reports, both the Republican and Democratic leaders of the House Oversight Committee said they were working together to urge Carr to testify about the show's suspension. "Politico" believes that this move also indicates that some Republicans are quite concerned about the matter.

The Financial Times cited analysts who said that the Trump administration's crackdown on so-called "enemies" is a revival of McCarthyism from the 1950s.

"I think (Trump) is creating a 'chilling effect' to suppress dissent," said Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of the School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, and an expert on the U.S. Constitution. "This is the core reason why people compare the current situation to the McCarthy era."

Chemerinsky pointed out that Trump has been targeting universities, media, and law firms. He believes that in some ways, the current potential threat is even more severe than the 1950s: although McCarthy had significant influence, he was ultimately just a junior senator from Wisconsin.

More importantly, unlike his first term, where few senior officials in the Trump administration fully supported his agenda, now many of Trump's verbal attacks have been implemented.

"In the McCarthy era, there had never been a situation where the President of the United States used the power of the government to retaliate and punish," he said. "We've never seen such a situation before."

Regarding Trump's intentions, Walter Olson, a senior researcher at the Cato Institute's Center for Constitutional Studies, analyzed that "Trump obviously wants to control the national media focus. He believes this helps achieve other specific goals, such as depriving other centers of power from setting the media agenda, or making public figures fear him. There is definitely a cultural war element, but the impact goes beyond that."

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