Donald Trump is throwing a tantrum over CBS’s refusal to fluff his ego. He has demanded CBS lose its broadcasting license for the unforgivable crime of… journalism. The horror!
And while Trump spent his Sunday evening rage-posting on Truth Social, accusing CBS of “fraudulent reporting,” former GOP congressman Adam Kinzinger took to X (formerly Twitter) to deliver the kind of verbal smackdown that leaves a mark.
Well thankfully we have a constitution that will far outlast your fat, nasty self @POTUS pic.twitter.com/tsnwBlnI7J
— Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraini) 🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@AdamKinzinger) April 14, 2025
If there’s a hall of fame for one-liners that perfectly encapsulate the sheer absurdity of Trump’s ego, Kinzinger just earned himself a lifetime membership.
While Trump continues his scorched-earth campaign against anyone who refuses to bow down to him, Kinzinger has emerged as one of the few Republicans willing to call out the president’s antics for what they are: a never-ending pity party disguised as populism. Kinzinger, once a rising star in the Republican Party, spent much of his career representing Illinois’ 16th Congressional District, a largely conservative area. But unlike most of his GOP colleagues, Kinzinger broke ranks after January 6, 2021, when Trump’s rhetoric culminated in a violent insurrection at the Capitol.
Kinzinger’s decision to join the January 6th Committee and publicly condemn Trump’s role in the attack earned him the ire of the MAGA faithful. But instead of retreating into political obscurity, he’s doubled down, using his platform to call out Trump’s authoritarian tendencies and the GOP’s cult-like loyalty to him.
It all started with the Sunday evening episode of 60 Minutes, which featured a segment on the Russia-Ukraine war and another on Trump’s bizarre obsession with annexing Greenland. The program also included an interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who criticized the U.S.’s shifting tone toward Russia under Trump’s leadership and invited Trump to visit Ukraine to witness the devastation firsthand. Trump did what he does best: deflect, distort, and distract. He accused CBS of “deceitful editing” during a 2024 interview with Kamala Harris, claimed the network is part of a grand conspiracy to undermine him, and even brought up his $20 billion lawsuit against CBS—a lawsuit that, much like his election fraud claims, seems more rooted in fantasy than fact.
Trump’s demands for CBS to lose its broadcasting license are as laughable as they are dangerous. For one, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) doesn’t license networks like CBS—it licenses individual stations. And even if it could revoke a network’s license, the idea that unfavorable coverage constitutes a legal violation is ludicrous. News organizations have a First Amendment right to report on public figures, even if that reporting makes those public figures uncomfortable.
Our fragile experiment in self-governance depends on a free press, even (especially) when that press covers topics unflattering to those in power. And honestly, if Trump can’t handle 60 Minutes, how exactly was he planning to handle Putin for another four years? Just food for thought.
Published: Apr 14, 2025 01:31 pm