Since Trump returned as president, he has been able to bully various sectors of society to bend to his will. Examples include law firms, universities, and media outlets. Sometimes the media outlets pay a “settlement” in response to a frivolous lawsuit brought by Trump because they fear the consequences. Trump wanted Stephen Colbert off the air, and Paramount—seeking approval for its acquisition by Skydance—acquiesced to Trump’s request by not renewing Colbert’s contract.
Jimmy Kimmel was next on Trump’s list. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr used Kimmel’s comments after Charlie Kirk was murdered as a pretext to push him out. Carr threatened local stations—many owned by Sinclair, Nexstar, and Disney—that they could comply “the easy way or the hard way.” The implication was that if they didn’t get rid of Kimmel, they would face FCC trouble, including potential consequences for their licenses.
Sinclair and Nexstar announced they would no longer broadcast Kimmel’s show. Disney then placed Kimmel on indefinite leave. It appeared that Kimmel’s days were numbered. As with Trump’s prior actions, it was expected that the reaction would be muted and limited to the usual Democratic voices, with few others willing to stand up to Trump and his allies.
To everyone’s surprise, this time was different. The outcry against the move was broader, not just from Trump’s usual critics. Senator Ted Cruz—who openly admits disliking Kimmel—objected, stating that this set a dangerous precedent. The concern was that the government could stifle speech it didn’t like by pressuring media outlets to silence the speaker.
Disney also faced internal pressure from its own talent. Even Michael Eisner, Disney’s former CEO, criticized the company’s actions. As a result, only a few days after Disney had yielded to Trump’s pressure, Kimmel was reinstated. Three days later, Sinclair and Nexstar announced they would resume broadcasting his show.
This episode demonstrates that the outrageous—and possibly illegal—conduct of the Trump administration can be resisted without resorting to the courts, provided there is broad-based opposition.
I wish this were a sign of a new trend, but the reaction to the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey suggests otherwise. Trump’s animosity toward Comey led him to push for criminal charges. He pressured the Attorney General to act, even as the statute of limitations on one potential charge—related to Comey’s congressional testimony—was about to expire. Erik Siebert, then the U.S. Attorney, was not interested in pursuing the charges, so Trump forced him out. Trump claimed he fired Siebert; Siebert said he resigned.
The remaining assistant U.S. attorneys issued a memo explaining why Comey should not be charged. Trump then appointed one of his former lawyers, Lindsey Halligan—a White House insider who had never presented a case to a grand jury—as acting U.S. Attorney for the apparent purpose of indicting Comey. She handled the case alone because no one else in the office wanted to be involved. The grand jury refused to indict on one of the three proposed charges and narrowly voted to indict on the other two. Trump declared that more of his perceived enemies would soon face charges. Most Republicans were either silent or supportive of the indictment.
The reversal by Disney, Nexstar, and Sinclair regarding Kimmel shows that when people with otherwise divergent beliefs unite around a common principle, they can stop even the most powerful person in the country.
This is an important lesson for us as Jews dealing with one another. We may have very different views—on the current Israeli government, the situation in Gaza, mayoral elections, or matters of religious practice. Yet we must remember that unity can be powerful.
In the United States, criticizing the government is seen as part of healthy democracy. Republicans criticized Biden when he was president, and now Democrats do the same with Trump. It is understood that one can support the country while opposing its leaders’ policies.
With Israel, however, some treat criticism of the Netanyahu government as disloyalty to the state itself, branding critics as self-hating Jews or enemies of Israel. That attitude is counterproductive. It creates the false impression that Jewish support for Israel is declining, which emboldens those who want the state destroyed. It also forces critics of Netanyahu’s policies into a false dichotomy—either unconditional support for the government or alignment with Israel’s enemies.
We need those Jews who support the continued existence of the State of Israel to remain steadfast. The hypocrisy of the United Nations General Assembly—whose delegates listened to leaders of Iran and Russia but walked out en masse when Netanyahu spoke—should serve as a wake-up call. History repeatedly shows that Jews are treated differently. We need all our fellow Jews to stand together in support of Israel’s survival. We may have our differences, but just as the Kimmel episode showed, when we unite, we can overcome even the most powerful forces against us.
