Former US President Barack Obama has spoken out against the Trump administration’s intimidation of media companies describing it as reaching a “dangerous” new level.

“After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.” President Obama posted to social media site X, formerly known as Twitter.

- Advertisement -

“This is precisely the kind of government coercion that the First Amendment was designed to prevent — and media companies need to start standing up rather than capitulating to it.”

President Obama made his comments alongside stories of ABC late night host Jimmy Kimmel being taken off air, and reports that Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah was fired from her role for comments she made that were critical of Charlie Kirk.

Kirk, a social media influencer, podcaster and ally of President Trump was shot and killed during an appearance at a Utah university last week. A 22-year-old local has been charged over his murder with prosecutors calling for the death penalty.

The comments follow on from the former President speaking about the death of Kirk at an event in Pennsylvania on Tuesday.

President Obama condemned the assassination of Kirk, an social media influencer and key ally of current President Donald Trump. He described the killing as “horrific” but said he was in broad disagreement with Kirk’s views, and Americans should be free to criticise those beliefs. “I didn’t know Charlie Kirk. I was generally aware of some of his ideas. I think those ideas were wrong, but that doesn’t negate the fact that what happened was a tragedy and that I mourn for him and his family,” Obama said, his comments reported by Politico. 

“We can also, at the same time, say that I disagree with the idea that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a mistake,” he continued. “I can say that I disagree with the suggestion that my wife or Justice Jackson does not have adequate brain processing power. I can say that I disagree that Martin Luther King was awful.”

President Obama said it was concerning to hear both President Trump and his aides using incendiary rhetoric.

“When I hear not just our current president, but his aides, who have a history of calling political opponents vermin, enemies who need to be targeted, that speaks to a broader problem that we have right now,” Obama said.

“When we have the weight of the United States government behind extremist views, we’ve got a problem,” he added.