Kamala Harris isn’t saying I told you so, but the presidential candidate who warned Donald Trump would seek “revenge” on his critics and rivals if voted back into the White House now is cautioning that free speech in America may be on thin ice.
While never mentioning Jimmy Kimmel or the late-night host’s benching by Disney, the former Vice President took to social media Thursday to spotlight the larger issue of eroding First Amendment rights under Trump 2.0.
“What we are witnessing is an outright abuse of power,” Harris posted. “This administration is attacking critics and using fear as a weapon to silence anyone who would speak out. Media corporations — from television networks to newspapers — are capitulating to these threats.
“We cannot dare to be silent or complacent in the face of this frontal assault on free speech.
“We, the People, deserve better.”
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The posting is the latest from high-level Democrats like a resurrected Barack Obama and others against the MAGA attacks on media. However, it is noteworthy that Harris did not mention Kimmel or Disney in her post; it is well known that the former VP is close personally to Disney Entertainment boss Dana Walden — a fact that has been seen over the last year as both a plus and a negative for the exec getting the Magic Kingdom’s top job when CEO Bob Iger is scheduled to step down late next year.
Those Trump attacks on the media have dragged in Harris herself, with Trump’s now settled $10 billion lawsuit over editing on a pre-election 60 Minutes interview with then-VP Harris. In the days before David Ellison’s Skydance received regulatory approval for its takeover of Paramount, the then-Shari Redstone-run company paid Trump $16 million to make it all go away — a payoff the soon-to-be pink-slipped Stephen Colbert called “a big fat bribe” on his CBS Late Show.
Trump also received a $15 million payout from ABC/Disney late last year to settle another suit, and in recent months has taken the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, among others, to court for critical reporting.
Two days after mocking Trump’s response to the fatal shooting of MAGA activist Charlie Kirk, Kimmel’s late-night was “preempted indefinitely” by Disney on Wednesday afternoon.
Just before the Iger-run Disney benched Kimmel, FCC chair Brendan Carr let off some firecrackers against Kimmel, and ABC and affiliate owners Nexstar and Sinclair said they would pull Jimmy Kimmel Live! over his Kirk response remarks. Over the past 24 hours, the backlash to Iger and Walden’s decision has seen widespread condemnation, with protests outside the Disney HQ in Burbank and at the Hollywood Boulevard venue where Jimmy Kimmel Live filmed. Meanwhile, Jon Stewart is returning to the Daily Show anchor desk tonight in a rare Thursday stint.
Trump has gloated repeatedly over Kimmel’s suspension, both online and during his pomp and ceremony state visit to the UK.
As for Harris, who has appeared on Kimmel’s show previously, is about to start a nationwide book tour for her 107 Days campaign memoir that comes out next week. While declining to run for California governor next year, Harris’ public moves in the past few weeks, and the book tour, adds more fuel to whispers that she is eyeing a 2028 White House bid.
As she said on July 30: “I look forward to getting back out and listening to the American people, helping elect Democrats across the nation who will fight fearlessly, and sharing more details in the months ahead about my own plans.”
That may or may not include a visit to late-night, one way or another.
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