Donald Trump Lashes Out At ABC News’ Jon Karl Over Pam Bondi’s Threat To Go After Hate Speech: “She’ll Probably Go After People Like You”

President Donald Trump lashed out at ABC News‘ Jonathan Karl on Tuesday, after the network correspondent asked him about Attorney General Pam Bondi‘s vow to go after those who engage in “hate speech” following the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

“A lot of your allies say that hate speech is free speech,” Karl said to Trump.

“She’ll probably go after people like you, because you treat me so unfairly,” Trump replied. “You have a lot of hate in your heart. Maybe they will come after ABC. ABC paid me $16 million recently for a form of hate speech. Your company paid me $16 million for a form of hate speech, so maybe they will have to go after you.”

On Katie Miller’s podcast on Monday, Bondi said, “There’s free speech and then there’s hate speech, and there is no place — especially now, especially after what happened to Charlie — in our society.” She added, “We will absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech, anything, and that is across the aisle.”

Bondi tried to clarify her remarks on Tuesday, writing on X: “Hate speech that crosses the line into threats of violence is NOT protected by the First Amendment. It’s a crime. For far too long, we’ve watched the radical left normalize threats, call for assassinations, and cheer on political violence. That era is over.”

But her remarks drew criticism on both sides of the political spectrum. In National Review, Charles C.W. Cooke wrote: “She won’t ‘target’ or ‘go after’ anyone for ‘hate speech,’ because, legally, there is no such thing as ‘hate speech’ in the United States, and because, as a government employee, she is bound by the First Amendment. And if she tries it anyway? The Supreme Court will side against her, 9-0.”

On The View, Alyssa Farah Griffin said: “Donald Trump energized a lot of young people by running as a sort of free speech absolutist and warrior. … In these recent days, these leaning into cracking down on it and targeting people when they exercise it is very concerning to me. Charlie Kirk, who they are honoring, is someone who rabidly opposed cracking down on free speech.”