Tucker Carlson Slams Trump Admin for ‘Attacking Free Speech’

Tucker Carlson, one of the country’s most prominent right-wing commentators, is lashing out at the Trump administration over what he claims is a dangerous attempt to weaponize the murder of Charlie Kirk to restrict free expression.

Carlson, 56, said on his Wednesday podcast that Kirk — his longtime friend and fellow conservative firebrand — would be “furious” to see the White House pushing measures against so-called hate speech in the wake of his assassination earlier this month.

“Charlie was a free speech champion… and I pray that that’s his legacy,” Carlson declared. “If this tragedy is leveraged to bring hate speech laws to this country, then there is no choice but civil disobedience. None.”

The immediate target of Carlson’s fury was Attorney General Pam Bondi, a close Trump ally, who told conservative host Katie Miller earlier this week that the Justice Department would “absolutely target” anyone using hate speech.

“There’s free speech, and then there’s hate speech, and there is no place — especially now, especially after what happened to Charlie — for hate speech in our society,” Bondi said.

Critics argue her statement effectively redefined “hate speech” as a criminal act, a claim that civil rights groups and free-speech watchdogs quickly condemned.

“This isn’t about protecting the public,” said Maya Wiley, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. “It’s about using a tragedy to silence dissent and consolidate power. That’s textbook authoritarianism.”

Carlson accused Bondi of betraying Kirk’s memory: “There’s no sentence Charlie would have objected to more than that. You hope the attorney general didn’t think it through.”

The former Fox News host also claimed Bondi’s remarks mirrored the kind of rhetoric that fueled violence against Kirk in the first place. “That thinking is exactly what got us here,” he argued. “We’re teaching a generation that shooting people you disagree with is acceptable.”

Ironically, Kirk himself had often dismissed the concept of “hate speech” altogether. In a May 2024 tweet, he wrote: “Hate speech does not exist legally in America. There’s ugly speech. There’s gross speech. There’s evil speech. And ALL of it is protected by the First Amendment.”

Carlson’s outburst comes as the Trump administration has expanded its pressure campaign on media outlets in the days since Kirk’s murder.

On Wednesday night, ABC announced it was pulling Jimmy Kimmel Live! “indefinitely” after FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, threatened to revoke the network’s license over Kimmel’s on-air jokes about Kirk.

President Trump hailed the move as “Great news for America” in a late-night Truth Social post.

“This is part of a wider pattern,” said former Obama adviser Ben Rhodes. “We’re watching the White House exploit a tragedy to punish critics and muzzle satire. It’s chilling.”

Democrats on Capitol Hill quickly seized on Carlson’s attack, framing it as proof that even Trump’s staunchest media allies are alarmed.

“Pam Bondi’s words are a warning shot to every American,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). “This administration wants the power to decide what speech is acceptable. That’s not democracy. That’s authoritarian creep.”

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) added, “When Tucker Carlson is the voice of reason, you know something has gone very, very wrong.”

While Carlson made clear his opposition to any restriction on speech, many Democrats see the controversy as exposing a deeper hypocrisy within the conservative movement.

“They’re happy to cancel Kimmel, but suddenly cry free speech when it’s their own side,” said a Democratic strategist who requested anonymity. “The real question is whether the administration is willing to bulldoze constitutional rights to score political points.”

As the nation mourns Kirk’s violent death, the debate over his legacy has shifted into a bitter clash over America’s democratic foundations — and whether Trump’s White House is crossing a line that even its most loyal allies can’t ignore.