'You set bad tone...': Donald Trump threatens journalist Jonathan Karl over hate speech questions; video goes viral

US President Donald Trump sharply criticized an ABC news correspondent, Jonathan Karl, during an interview on Tuesday, following questions about Attorney General Pam Bondi’s commitment to cracking down on hate speech in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

When Karl asked Trump about Bondi’s stance, which aims to target individuals spreading hate speech, Trump fired back, suggesting that Bondi might also pursue ABC News itself.

Trump accused the network of hypocrisy, stating, “She’ll probably go after people like you, because you treat me so unfairly.” “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,” he added.

He implied that if authorities are serious about targeting hate speech, they might also investigate the network.

The confrontation then intensifies a little more when the journalist asked if it was appropriate for a sitting President to have significant business interests.

Trump responded by saying, “Well, I’m really not. My kids are running the business. I’m here.”

He then added, “In my opinion, you are hurting Australia very much right now, and they want to get along with me. You know your leader is coming over to see me very soon, and I’m going to tell them about you. You set a very bad tone.”

Trump then abruptly told the journalist to be quiet before moving on to the next question.

Pam Bondi, on the other hand, during a podcast appearance with Katie Miller on Monday, stressed that while free speech is protected, hate speech should have no place in society, especially following Charlie Kirk’s tragic killing. 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, 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 comments faced backlash from both liberals and conservatives.

In an article for 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.”