![\"Jonathan](\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/388LCPaWjJ6auppiewAlLjuS-dI=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(740x260:742x262):format(webp)\/jonathan-karl-donald-trump-091625-6ffecfe5fa194664b1bb507abc1f9a6c.jpg\")
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ABC News’ Jonathan Karl asked\u00a0President Donald Trump\u00a0about Attorney General Pam Bondi’s intentions to “go after hate speech”\u00a0on Tuesday, Sept. 16<\/p>\n
Trump told Karl that he would “probably go after people like you, because you treat me so unfairly. It’s hate”<\/p>\n
Trump’s comments come days after MSNBC political analyst Matthew Dowd was reportedly fired over comments made about right-wing political commentator Charlie Kirk, who was killed on Sept. 10<\/p>\n
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President Donald Trump suggested he may “go after” ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl and “people like” him.
\nKarl, 57, asked the president about Attorney General Pam Bondi’s intentions to “go after hate speech” on Tuesday, Sept. 16. “A lot of your allies say hate speech is free speech,” Karl said.
\nThe president, 79, responded, “I’d probably go after people like you, because you treat me so unfairly. It’s hate. You have a lot of hate in your heart. Maybe I’ll come after ABC.”
\nMatthew Dowd Fired from MSNBC Over Charlie Kirk Comments: Reports
\nFired MSNBC Contributor Matthew Dowd Says He Is in ‘Shell Shock,’ Defends His ‘Misconstrued’ Comments About Charlie Kirk
\nHe continued, going on to reference the 2024 settlement between himself and ABC, in which the company agreed to donate $15 million to the future Trump library, plus $1 million in legal fees. The settlement was agreed upon after anchor George Stephanopoulos incorrectly said Trump was found civilly liable for the “rape” of writer E. Jean Carroll when he was actually found liable for “sexual abuse,” a lesser offense.
\nTrump continued, “ABC paid me $16 million recently for a form of hate speech, right? Your company paid me $16 million for a form of hate speech. So, maybe they’ll have to go after you.”
\nKarl’s question came after Bondi’s appearance on The Katie Miller Podcast, released on Monday, Sept. 15. \u201cWe will absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech, anything \u2014 and that\u2019s across the aisle,” the attorney general said in the interview.
\nBondi later clarified her comments on X, writing in part, “Hate speech that crosses the line into threats of violence is NOT protected by the First Amendment. It\u2019s a crime. For far too long, we\u2019ve watched the radical left normalize threats, call for assassinations, and cheer on political violence. That era is over.”<\/p>\n
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Trump’s comments come a week after MSNBC political analyst Matthew Dowd was reportedly fired on Wednesday, Sept. 10 after making comments about the\u00a0death of Charlie Kirk.
\nKirk, a right-wing political commentator and Trump administration ally, was fatally shot during a campus event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. He was 31.
\nNever miss a story \u2014 sign up for\u00a0PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter\u00a0to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
\nAfter his death, Dowd, 64, appeared on\u00a0MSNBC Live With Katy Tur, where host Katy Tur asked him about \u201cthe environment in which a shooting like this happens,\u201d per\u00a0Variety.
\n\u201cHe\u2019s been one of the most divisive, especially divisive younger figures in this, who is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech or sort of aimed at certain groups,” Dowd replied. “And I always go back to, hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions. And I think that is the environment we are in.”
\n“You can\u2019t stop with these sort of awful thoughts you have and then saying these awful words and not expect awful actions to take place,” he continued. “And that\u2019s the unfortunate environment we are in.\u201d
\nVariety,\u00a0Deadline\u00a0and The Wall Street Journal\u00a0later reported that Dowd was fired, citing network sources.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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