Trump has suffered a major political defeat.

[lees1975]

Last edited Mon Sep 29, 2025, 10:45 AM - Edit history (1)

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2025/09/trump-just-suffered-major-political.html

There's no way around what is a very simple analysis of his choice to pick a battle with late night television host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel. Making a move to use his power as President of the United States to put pressure on the ABC Network to cancel Kimmel's show because of comments Kimmel made that basically told the truth about Charlie Kirk was a bad strategy all the way around.

Bowing to the pressure, the ABC Network contributed to the political disaster by cancelling Kimmel's show. Big mistake.

The public outcry against this unconscionable, unconstitutional, un-American, anti-patriotic act by a sitting President, and against the ownership of the ABC network, was monstrous. It did not take long for events to move forward as a result. It only took a relatively short amount of time for ABC's executive leadership to realize what a gigantic mistake it had made, and very likely calculating how much this was going to cost them, and reverse their decision.

This couldn't have turned out any worse for the President if his opposition had scripted it.

Kimmel returned to the airwaves, still cancelled by owners of television stations with a censorship mentality, but completely unable and ineffective in their effort to keep people from watching Kimmel. So on September 23, he delivered a well spoken defense of himself, and of his right to free speech under the constitution, along with a scathing, flattening rebuke of Trump, intentionally needling him with words chosen carefully to get more blowback that makes Trump look even more incompetent, illiterate and unhinged. All of this in front of a television audience much larger than he normally would have.

[Janbdwl72]

1. I believe he will suffer other defeats soon

I think James Comey won’t be found guilty of any of these ridiculous charges and barring an unexpected catastrophe, the Democratic candidate for Governor of Virginia should win handily.

[ificandream]

2. As Brian Stelter pointed out this morning, though ..

Just putting Comey through the ordeal of this b.s. is intimidating, whether the charges stick or not.

Stelter wrote:

Most news outlets have appropriately centered Trump's public pressure in stories and discussions about the Comey indictment. "This is not just a backward-looking prosecution against the president's past enemies," David Frum told Erin Burnett last night, it's part of a broader effort to "intimidate" all Trump adversaries.

And it "does not matter if the charges don't hold up in court," Brendan Nyhan wrote on X. Through prosecutions, Trump "can ruin people's reputations and bankrupt them. Even the threat of a Comey-style prosecution will silence dissent within and outside his administration."

Here's a link to the column. It's a must read for me each day.

https://view.newsletters.cnn.com/messages/1758892668574f4c8e2f40817/raw?utm_source=cnn_Reliable+Sources+%E2%80%93+Sept+26%2C+2025&utm_medium=email&bt_ee=AsKodoixjVPP2lUCtYclP2cnjJ7393mE77Sr%2FBm4SglqF4FyaCZzZNSPdGmlRPCf&bt_ts=1758892668577

[Martin68]

8. But if they fail to find Comey guilty, it will emphasize their lawlessness and impotence for all to see.

[Attilatheblond]

12. Sadly, they won't get the lesson. They will only get madder & meaner

At this point, I truly hope all those flag officers DO NOT come to that insane meeting. Nothing good can come of all those people being in one place at one time.

Trump is now desperate beyond reason. Flag officers are in danger as he might decide to go to war with somebody and sane military leaders are all there is standing between the insane felon and his insane cabal and the rest of humanity.

Every defeat, every humiliation makes Felon more dangerously insane. And the fucking idiot cannot stop himself from running to more defeats and more humiliations.

Also, Stephen Miller needs to be put in an 'I love me jacket'.

[Wifes husband]

17. They don't care

These are not normal times. These people don't care

[sop]

19. Trump's DOJ doesn't have a very good track record.

DOJ cases in Los Angeles have been thrown out, DOJ cases have been dismissed or dropped in Washington, D.C., and Bondi is having a really hard time prosecuting Abrego Garcia. The chances they will successfully prosecute Jmes Comey are slim to none.

[liberalla]

11. I completely agree it is wrong to bring these charges against Comey... however I'm finding it difficult to

feel bad for his "ordeal"... After what he did to Hillary and the Dems getting trump elected the first time.
Now that was an "ordeal" we all suffered through!

Also, there are few people who are better equipped to deal with an indictment by the federal government than James Comey.

[Attilatheblond]

14. And his son in law resigned his position as a DOJ prosecutor following that indictment

Won't be long until the only 'prosecutors' left in DOJ will be imbecile lawyers that once defended Trump. Fools willing to just follow orders is not working out for him. How many more 'No Bill' grand jury decisions before Bondi tries to scarp the whole grand jury process and go to secret military tribunals for all the people on the Felon's enemies list?

[Baitball Blogger]

3. The First Amendment won. That's what matters.

[Roc2020]

4. The whirlwind reaping

was absolutely crushing. I don't know if the blowback could have been anymore disastrous for wh fella. He is on a downhill losing streak.

[Wiz Imp]

5. Really stupid mistake in the linked article

They keep saying "ABC News" cancelled Jimmy Kimmel. ABC News had nothing to do with Jimmy Kimmel. The Jimmy Kimmel show has no connection to ABC News. It was the ABC Network (Entertainment Division).

[subterranean]

16. Good catch!

[lees1975]

27. noted and corrected

[Martin68]

6. Krugman points to this as the turning of the tide.

[Frasier Balzov]

7. Without the Nextstar and Sinclair affiliates

the Kimmel show has little chance of covering its costs of production.

Disney might choose to underwrite the losses for awhile as a self-respect project.

But at some point there will be an economic reason to call it quits, just like CBS cited to squelch Colbert.

Principle over profits is rare credo to live by.

[kimbutgar]

13. Someone posted a meme about how we can let advertisers on Sinclair and Nexstar say they will not purchase their products

Until Kimmel returns.

We can punch back at Sinclair and Nexstar.

[blubunyip]

20. that is a good idea

boycotts have impact. It's one of the few powers we have left.

[Gimpyknee]

15. So true.

[Grumpy Old Guy]

22. I don't agree.

Sinclair and Nextstar are cancelling in small markets. All those markets combined don't come close to the four major markets of NY, LA, SF, & Chicago. Also, I don't think affiliate and network revenues are tied to individual programs. They sign agreements to carry programming, but those agreements don't go program by program. Sinclair & Nextstar are only hurting themselves and their viewers.

[Wednesdays]

24. The Sinclair stations are back to airing Kimmel!

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143537428

[Joinfortmill]

26. Ha! Remember, Trump is a loser! Someday we'll learn just how big

[lees1975]

28. He's back on both.

This was a loser for everyone all the way around who thought they could get away with such an unconstitutional act. The television station owners stand to lose the most in the immediate future, but they grossly underestimated what the backlash would be, with many of their local stations dropping to the bottom of the market in ratings.

[Bristlecone]

9. He will never let it drop.

It is his life’s work to “payback” petty grievances that live only in his head.

[Shipwack]

21. True.

Someone has a tax audit in their future…

[JoseBalow]

23. That defines him - he's an ignorant, vindictive, petty little man

[Wednesdays]

25. Yup. Just like "escalatorgate."

Which was TSF's own staff's fault, BTW.

[rubbersole]

10. There's the positive of millions finding alternative ways to access their favorite TV shows.

[twodogsbarking]

18. What will hurt Trump's ego is that Kimmel's ratings are up. A kick in the peas.

[lees1975]

29. So many of those Sinclair and Nextstar stations dropped to the bottom of the ratings while their viewers went to YouTube

to watch those first two or three monologues. And millions heard Kimmel's brilliantly crafted honest description of the most corrupt president in American history. Looking at his numbers, he sure can't afford this kind of disaster.