Even Russians warn

Trump copies Putin: It starts with censorship …

"Trump was right about everything," reads the US president's hat.(Bild: AFP/ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS)

Donald Trump is working flat out to transform the USA according to his ideas. Unpleasant voices are to be censored. Exiled Russians and journalists are now drawing astonishing parallels with Vladimir Putin in the early 2000s - and predicting a bleak future for the USA. 

Trump's latest victim is TV superstar Jimmy Kimmel. The late-night presenter is considered an intimate enemy of the president. The satirist has recently repeatedly pointed out Trump's links to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In his last show for the time being, he also criticized the fact that the "MAGA gang" (Trump's frenetic supporters) would do anything to politically exploit the murder of activist Charlie Kirk.

Apparently too much "free" speech for Trump and his allies. The US government increased the pressure on Kimmel's broadcaster ABC. The broadcaster caved in and removed his popular show from its own schedule "indefinitely", even though millions of Americans loved the show.

Trump's campaign against the US media
The outcry is huge, as the US president has already maneuvered the second late-night presenter out of the game. Stephen Colbert's contract with NBC was also not renewed after he described an out-of-court settlement of 16 million dollars between the parent company Paramount and the Republican as a "fat kickback". 

This scene is said to have cost Kimmel his job:

Trump also sued the "New York Times" for several billion US dollars. The reason: the paper is "one of the worst and most degenerate newspapers in the history of our country". It had "become a veritable mouthpiece of the radical left-wing Democratic Party". It would also have worked at Paramount.

The US President has had the media supervisory authority FCC restructured in his favor. The "Command-in-Chief" is now openly threatening to withdraw licenses in the event of negative reporting about his person.

Even before the Kimmel case, US press freedom was slipping significantly:

Procedure reminiscent of Putin's game plan
The campaign against uncomfortable voices evokes dark memories. As the Russian exile medium "Meduza" reports, numerous Russian media professionals and commentators on social networks are drawing disturbing parallels between the USA and the Kremlin's systematic crackdown on freedom of expression.

The warning from well-known journalist Roman Dobrokhotov is particularly urgent. On the online platform X, he appealed directly to the American people: "Americans, don't just accept this - go to the White House. Freedom of speech is your last line of defense," Dobrokhotov said in his post (see tweet below).

His message culminates in an ominous prophecy that should be understood as a wake-up call: "If you screw up like we did, you'll end up where we are!"

Putin targeted satirists first
Dobrokhotov refers specifically to the events of 2001 in Russia, which are regarded as a turning point for media freedom in the country. At that time, Putin's power apparatus took control of the television station NTV, which until then had been considered one of the last bastions of independent journalism.

No one was spared on the Russian show "Kukly". Left in the picture: Former President Boris Yeltsin ...(Bild: AFP/KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV)

The straw that broke the camel's back was the legendary political satire show "Kukly" ("Puppets"). The weekly show was an absolute ratings hit in the 1990s and mercilessly mocked political events with brilliantly caricatured puppets. No politician was safe from ridicule - not even the new President Putin. Shortly after taking office in 2000, he was prominently parodied in the show.

The Kremlin's reaction was not long in coming. A short time later, the NTV channel was taken over by Gazprom-Media, a state-controlled media group. The editorial line changed radically as a result. The celebrated scriptwriter of "Kukly", Viktor Shenderovich, left the program in protest against the censorship. In 2003, the format was finally discontinued - symbolizing the disintegration of free television reporting in Putin's new Russia.

Many other formats have been censored over the years. Since the war of aggression against Ukraine in 2022 at the latest, dissenting voices have been punishable by law. Although toothless anyway, the country's last major comedy show, "Evening Urgant", disappeared from the scene without comment shortly afterwards.

US government calls for denunciation
Since taking office in January, Trump has taken unprecedented action against the media, political opponents, universities and law firms. Since the assassination attempt on the ultra-right Kirk just over a week ago, his government has stepped up the pace against critics.

Trump's Vice President JD Vance, of all people, has now called on US citizens to denounce colleagues if they make disparaging remarks about Kirk. As a reminder: Vance reprimanded Europe during his historic appearance at the Munich Security Conference at the beginning of the year. He was concerned about the increase in "political influence and censorship".

He accused Europe of having a degenerate understanding of democracy and ironically emphasized: "If you are afraid of your own voters, then there is nothing America can do for you." Now he denigrates other opinions as "left-wing terrorism" and calls for denunciation: "If you see someone celebrating Charlie's murder, call them on it," Vance urged listeners on the murdered activist's podcast on Monday. "And for fuck's sake, call his employer." Layoffs are said to have occurred across the country.

Trump is also calling for the dismissal of satirist Jimmy Fallon, whom he still let run through his hair in 2016.(Bild: AFP/ANDREW LIPOVSKY)

Censorship is not a scenario, but a reality
The gradual elimination of critical media, starting with satire and entertainment and ending with complete control of the information landscape, is a scenario that the USA is already living through. Anyone who switches on Fox News these days already imagines themselves in a parallel universe.

Brian Kilmeade, one of Trump's favorite hosts, recently insisted that mentally ill homeless people should be killed: "With a lethal injection or something. Just kill them." He apologized, but is allowed to continue presenting. Regarding the Kimmel case, he told his viewers a few days later with a serious face: "His comments have clearly gone too far for some of those responsible."

And Trump? Meanwhile, the US President called for the removal of other late-night presenters: "That leaves only Jimmy (Fallon) and Seth (Meyers), two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also abysmal. Do it, NBC!!!"