Prominent conservatives are calling to “defund” PBS in response to the broadcaster’s coverage of Donald Trump’s indictment on Tuesday (June 13).
PBS added a warning message to Trump’s fiery speech after he pleaded guilty to 37 charges about his alleged mishandling of classified documents. The message stated that “experts warn that inflammatory rhetoric” from prominent political figures can lead to violence.
Trump is the GOP’s front-runner for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2024, and polls show him with a significant lead over runner-up Ron DeSantis. Therefore, his rhetoric and the media’s reaction to it could help determine who takes control of the White House in January 2025.
The speech that earned the warning was Trump’s address to his supporters at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Tuesday.
In his remarks, the former President promised to appoint a special prosecutor that would target “the entire Biden crime family” and others “involved with the destruction” of the country, the U.S. elections, and the nation’s borders.
Trump has relented on his claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him through rampant fraud, a claim that legal experts and courts have repeatedly rejected.
The Republican front-runner also promised to “totally obliterate the deep state,” adding that he is the “only one who can save” the U.S.
During his address, PBS published a “context” note at the bottom of the screen.
In all caps, it read: “Experts warn that inflammatory rhetoric from elected officials or people in power can prompt individual actors” to act violently.
A screenshot of it was tweeted by Charlie Kirk, who has over 2.3 million Twitter followers and runs the conservative youth group Turning Point USA and has more than 2.3 million Twitter followers, described that the “Taxpayer funded PBS” had turned into PRAVDA,” calling to “Defund PBS.”
Pravda was the official newspaper of the ruling Communist Party of the Soviet Union, which gained a reputation for strict ideological orthodoxy and the distortion of facts to suit the official narrative.
