The history of broken democracies that descend into totalitarianism almost always begins with an aspiring dictator who lashes out at the media and seeks to muzzle any criticism from a free press that resists being censored. The honest journalists and others with the courage to speak truth to power are systematically identified and silenced.

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That strategy can currently be seen playing out by Donald Trump and his neo-fascist MAGA movement. It began years ago with his frequent reference to the media in Stalinist terms as “the enemy of the people,” and continues with his recent attacks on news organizations with multibillion dollar lawsuits and threats of regulatory punishment should they defy his divine will.

SUCH AS: Paramount Caves to Trump’s Extortion, Disgraces CBS, Pays a $16M Bribe to Settle a Bogus Lawsuit

Last week Stephen Colbert announced that his corporate bosses at Paramount had told him that his contract would not be renewed beyond this season that ends in May of 2026. Paramount is currently trying to complete a merger with Skydance Media that needs the approval of the Trump administration, The cancellation came as a shock to Colbert and his audience, considering that his program has been the number one rated show in its time slot for many years. And it came just two days after Colbert castigated Paramount for capitulating to Trump and agreeing to pay what Colbert called “a big fat bribe” in order to settle an entirely meritless lawsuit filed by the Litigator-in-Chief. What else did Paramount/Skydance promise Trump to secure his approval for their merger?

One person who was not shocked was Donald Trump, who rejoiced over the news, and looked forward to more of the same sort of government suppression for Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, and others who dare to laugh at Trump. Which may have prompted Fox News host, Bill Hemmer, to engage with Trump’s Federal Communications (FCC) chair, Brendan Carr, about Trump’s possible role in the ousting of Colbert. Hemmer asked Carr, “Did Trump have anything to do with the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s show?” And Carr gave a long-winded dodge that still managed to give Trump credit for axing the decades long, awarding winning program. Carr replied…

“Well here’s what’s important to keep in mind as a broader dynamic. When president Trump ran for reelection he ran right at the legacy broadcast media outfits and the New York and Hollywood elites that are behind it. And he smashed the facade that these are gatekeepers that can control what Americans think and what Americans can say. And once you do do that, you’ve exposed the business model of a lot of these outfits as being nothing more than a partisan circus.

That entire rant was pure, nonsensical, bullshittery. First of all, Trump may have campaigned against the media, but he won with one of the smallest margins in modern history. So he had no mandate to crush what he believed was a “partisan circus.” What’s more, neither Colbert, nor any of his colleagues, had any power as “gatekeepers” who could control what anyone thinks or says. If the American people didn’t like what they were seeing, they could always change the channel or go to bed. Instead, millions tuned in every night.

However, Carr wasn’t finished gaslighting the Fox News viewers. He eventually got around to answering the original question about whether Trump deserved credit for ridding television of Colbert. And Carr implied that he did…

“So there’s a lot of consequences that are flowing from Trump deciding ‘I’m not gonna play by the rules of politicians in the past and let these legacy outfits dictate the narrative and the terms of the debate.’ And he’s succeeding. Just look at what’s happening. NPR has been defunded. PBS has been defunded. Colbert is getting canceled. You’ve got anchors and news media personalities losing jobs. All of the is downstream of president Trump’s decision to stand up. And he stood up for the American people. Because the American people do not trust these legacy gatekeepers anymore.”

FOX: Did President Trump have anything to do with the cancelation of Colbert's show?FCC CHAIR BRENDAN CARR: When President Trump ran for election, he ran right at these legacy broadcast media outfitsFOX: I did not hear an answer

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-07-24T14:04:39.172Z

So according to Carr, Colbert’s firing was the result of “consequences” that flowed from Trump who wasn’t “gonna play by the rules” of the past, wherein viewers decided what they wanted to watch. He boasted that Trump was succeeding by defunding beloved institutions like NPR and PBS, and causing journalists to lose their jobs. Once again, giving the credit to Trump. Furthermore, Carr made the preposterous statement that all of this anti-free-press turmoil, was because Trump “stood up for the American people.”

MORE HERE: Trump Threatens Republicans Who Fail to Defund the ‘Monstrosity’ Public Broadcasters, PBS and NPR

Apparently Carr thinks that the nation was clamoring to get rid of such subversive fair as the PBS News Hour, All Things Considered, Masterpiece Theater, and Sesame Street. Even Fox’s host was less than satisfied with Carr’s respopnse, saying that “I asked you a very direct question. I did not hear a yes or a no in your answer. I heard ‘maybe.'” Although Carr did hint at his view that Trump was responsible for Colbert being cancelled. He just took the long way around to delivering a weaselly reply. Which is a skill that many in Trump World have had to master.

The bottom line here is that Trump is determined to cleanse the media of anyone who refuses to worship and obey him. And the supplicants in his administration will see to it that Trump’s will is done by any means necessary. And that’s true for his political agencies as well. Because that’s how authoritarianism works. And that’s what Trump wants. He must not be allowed to succeed.

RELATED STORIES:

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• Trump White House Whines About ‘Political Disinformation’ – While They Are Disseminating It
• Scaredy Trump Kicks the Wall Street Journal Out of the Press Pool for His Next Junket Overseas

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