President Donald Trump’s administration is trying to punish ABC for broadcasting speech that he doesn’t like.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr is poised “to order an early review of Disney's eight ABC station licenses,” CNN’s Brian Stelter reported Tuesday. The move would ensnarl Disney, ABC’s parent company, in a lengthy and expensive legal process, though Stelter reports that the licenses “are likely not in any real jeopardy.” 

This is clear government retaliation against a media company over speech. The FCC will reportedly claim to be acting in response to the probe of Disney’s diversity, equity, and inclusion practices that Carr announced in early 2025. But Carr is the architect of Trump’s effort to strongarm media companies, and news of his unprecedented action broke the day after Trump demanded that Disney and ABC “immediately fire” Jimmy Kimmel over a joke the late night host told on his ABC show last week.

Kimmel joked on Thursday's show that first lady Melania Trump had “a glow like an expectant widow” while delivering a mock roast of Trump in the manner comedians have typically provided presidents at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, scheduled for a few days later. After a gunman allegedly targeting the president tried to breach the perimeter at the dinner on Saturday, right-wing pundits resurfaced the joke and launched a cynical firestorm in which they denounced Kimmel for purportedly calling for Trump’s assassination. 

Both Melania and Donald Trump subsequently adopted that false reading of the joke and publicly called for Kimmel’s firing. MAGA media figures like Bill O’Reilly and Benny Johnson joined in demanding the comedian’s removal, with Johnson urging the Trump administration to try to “hurt ABC” by targeting its mergers, acquisitions, and broadcast licences. On Tuesday morning, Marc Beckham, Melania Trump’s senior adviser, went on Fox News’ Fox & Friends and said that Kimmel should “be terminated.” 

The planned FCC action won’t be the first time the Trump administration has wielded state power against media outlets over speech in a manner that seems clearly violative of the First Amendment. It’s not even the first time Carr has come after Kimmel — when the late night host ran afoul of the right after the killing of MAGA figure Charlie Kirk in September, the FCC chair’s effort to strongarm ABC led to his suspension. 

But in making a push for ABC’s station licenses, Carr is drastically escalating the Trump administration’s fight against free speech  while seeking to make good on a threat the president has repeated for years. 

It’s a good sign that Stelter reports Disney plans to fight the Trump administration in court. Several prominent media oligarchs have shamefully folded in response to Trump’s threats since his 2024 election. Indeed, Carr will reportedly take action just days after David Ellison, the Trumpy billionaire who has cozied up to the president during efforts to take over the parent companies of both CBS and CNN, hosted a private dinner “honoring the Trump White House” attended by top figures at CBS News.  

But Disney now faces a long, costly battle against the federal government — all because the president does not believe in free speech and his team is willing to use its power to cudgel critics into line. Trump will put Disney’s executives to the test, forcing them to determine how hard they are willing to fight over a relatively tiny fraction of the massive media conglomerate’s business. And freedom of speech is hanging in the balance.