Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) argued President Donald Trump was attempting to silence opposing views.
Host Kristen Welker said, “Free speech and speech has been in the spotlight this week after the news that ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel, comedian, off the air after comments that he made on his late night show. What was your reaction to learning that he’d been pulled off the air?”
Shapiro said, “Fear, just worry for our country. Our foundational principle in this country, which has roots in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, when William Penn settled here in the 1680s, is about freedom of expression, freedom of speech. And to see that being undermined by the long arm of the federal government is extremely dangerous. Again, whether you agree with Jimmy Kimmel or not, whether you found him funny or not. To fire someone because he told a joke about the president repeatedly, and the president didn’t like it, to fire him because he was inartful in his words, in the wake of the killing of Charlie Kirk. When you have others in the media and I mean, this is no disrespect to her in artful every day, that is dangerous when we are selectively firing people because of their viewpoints.”
Welker said, “I want to be very clear about what you are saying. Do you believe that President Trump and the Trump administration is trying to stifle dissent, and people who would disagree?
Shapiro said, “Without question. They’re trying to stifle dissent. The president, in his own words, I think, was aboard Air Force One a couple of nights ago, made clear he wants to look at the licenses and the certifications for particular media outlets if all they’re doing is attacking Trump. I mean, listen, the bedrock of our free society is the freedom of speech.”
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