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'Unfunny and repetitive': Trump takes aim at late night talk show hosts for criticising him

A producer for Jimmy Fallon’s show shot back: “Now kindly stop tweeting nonsense and go do your job for once.”

Trump Hosts a Hispanic Heritage Month Event Ron Sachs / DPA/PA Images Ron Sachs / DPA/PA Images / DPA/PA Images

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP lashed out today against late night television show hosts who have been sharply critical of his administration and Republicans.

Trump took to Twitter to argue that the GOP should be given “equal time” because of the “one-sided” coverage, an apparent reference to Federal Communications Commission rules dealing with political candidates during elections.

“Late Night host(s) are dealing with the Democrats for their very ‘unfunny’ & repetitive material, always anti-Trump!” he tweeted. “Should we get Equal Time?”

Trump also suggested “more and more people” are clamouring for more coverage of Republicans, who control the White House and Congress.

Seth Myers, who has been among the most vocal Trump critics, immediately tweeted back that he’d “love” to have Trump on his NBC show. Myers jokingly provided his studio address as “15 Penguin Avenue, Antarctica”.

Others on Twitter pointed out to the president that “equal time” is meant for campaign season, not to protect elected officials from being the butt of television humour.

“That’s not how it works. You’re not campaigning. You’re the president,” Mike DiCenzo, a writer and producer for NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon tweeted.

Now kindly stop tweeting nonsense and go do your job for once.

The FCC rule says political candidates should be treated equally by broadcast television stations when it comes to selling or giving away air time during an election.

Over the years, the commission has broadly exempted news programs, including late night talk shows, from the provision.

Trump’s tweets followed shortly after a segment on Fox News’ Fox and Friends that said many late show hosts have taken “a hard turn to the left”.

The president’s reference to “dealing with Democrats” appears to allude to recent reports by Fox and others that ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel consulted with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, before delivering a series of emotional and personal monologues against Republicans’ attempts to repeal and replace the health care law that was championed by former President Barack Obama.

Kimmel’s son, Billy, who was born this year with a congenital heart defect, a pre-existing condition the late night host argued would have prevented the boy from getting health insurance if not for the Affordable Care Act that Obama signed in 2010.

Trump’s ire for his late night critics— who also include CBS’ Stephen Colbert and even Fallon at times — is not totally unfounded.

A study by researchers at George Mason University in Virginia found that Trump in on pace to “easily eclipse” the most jokes about any person tracked by its Center for Media and Public Affairs since it began monitoring in 1988.

The New York billionaire was the target of more than 1,000 jokes during his first 100 days in office, surpassing the 936 jokes made at Obama’s expense in his first year in office in 2009 and more than the 546 about George W Bush in his first year as president in 2001, according to the study.

Read: ‘Contempt for women reaches a new low’: Trump administration rolls back free birth control access

Read: In the wake of Vegas the NRA is backing a call for a curb on assault weapons

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    Mute Tony Murphy
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 4:14 PM

    If you dont like facebook, don’t use it.

    193
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    Mute Mick Mouse
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 5:22 PM

    Tony add me man!

    116
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    Mute Neal Ireland Hello
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    Feb 24th 2015, 11:39 AM

    Easier said than done, Tony.

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    Mute Etheric Projection
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 7:01 PM

    Facebook… The CIA database for normal people.
    Ya know, just in case you step out line..
    Go back to sleep everyone. Everything is under control.
    Read Facebook and eat crap and then get up for work. Again.

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    Mute Colm A. Corcoran
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 7:26 PM

    Regardless of Facebook’s policies, people should never forget it’s the internet. Don’t put up any content you would be embarrassed about if the whole world saw it.

    They can add as much privacy rules as they like but considering the complexity of these rules it is very likely they’ll at least be flawed in some way, whether they’re misunderstood or have defects.

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    Mute Pius Flynn
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 5:01 PM

    My problem with Facebook is that there are a lot of very nasty racist groups posting their hateful garbage on it, and to make matters worse they can turn off comments from anyone who disagrees with them so that it appears they have universal support

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    Mute Egg Head
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 7:06 PM

    So do you think groups with distasteful opinions should be silenced, or that their views should be open to challenge and debate? If the former, I disagree, forcing opinions underground doesn’t make them go away; and if the latter, maybe, but would it really make much difference to anyone if you were to challenge the well researched opinions of Jimmy Joe Bob from Southern Alabama? Communication between like minded people has never been as easy as it is today thanks to the internet, yet racism has probably never been less prevalent in society. I’m not sure these things really pose as great a threat as is sometimes made out.

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    Mute VinHeffer89
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 7:36 PM

    Totally disagree; ignorant, distasteful groups should be allowed to voice their ignorance as much as moderate opinion. Free speech is free speech; at least if everything is all out in the open these distasteful groups can be called on their ignorance.

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    Mute Pius Flynn
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 7:47 PM

    @ Egg Head
    Thank you for your well thought out and reasoned response.
    I’m sorry, I did not make myself clear, no I don’t think they should be silenced,but I wonder if it’s a good idea that they should go unchallenged. A lot of impressionable young people read this tripe.

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    Mute VinHeffer89
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 8:05 PM

    That comes down to parental responsibility, Pius. The Internet is fine as long as you’re able to differentiate between fact and opinionated BS. This knowledge should be imparted to the kids as well. They aren’t stupid; they learn quick enough that you shouldn’t believe everything you hear in the schoolyard or in the street. If they’re properly informed as to the reality that the Internet is largely the same then there’ll be no issue.

    Obviously, there are exceptions to this, take the young ones on route to ISIS for example but largely it comes down to parental responsibility in my opinion. If you take the time to explain the reality to the kids there shouldn’t be too many problems.

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    Mute Brian Ahern
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 4:12 PM

    What’s not to like?

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    Mute Cupid Stunt
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 6:49 PM

    If it was over here the guards would be called and your personal rights ignored, you’d be forced to be a Facebook member and if you complained you would go to jail.your fellow citizens would think this was fine and applaud the judiciary.

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    Mute mrgillhouley
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 4:06 PM

    people will undoubtedly vent their anger… on Facebook- jesus wept :D

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    Mute Paul McKenna
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 4:03 PM

    Hello!

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    Mute Jon Burkin
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 11:06 PM

    Deleted my Facebook a month ago. Best thing I ever did. I don’t ever want to know that you are “going to bed now night peeps” makes me want to scream!

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    Mute Mike Clinton
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 7:44 PM

    On Facebook you can report false/troll accounts and they do investigate & close the accounts.
    Unlike twitter.

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    Mute Trevor Weafer
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    Feb 24th 2015, 9:35 AM

    You can report twitter accounts ya mad yolk.

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    Mute Peter M Buchanan
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 5:15 PM

    If you don’t like Facebook’s policies… DUH don’t use it… These privacy cranks are something else…..

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    Mute Vannin
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 8:19 PM

    Facebook is only usually used to point out flaws ect because it’s popular, the real truth is that any online account, profile, subject data or whatever is open for abuse as unfortunatly thats what people do, they take the good and turn it bad.

    Facebook, although I don’t like it myself is/would be a great tool for social media but even at it’s best I’ve found it to be mainly “Maltesers and a hot chocolate for me to night” followed by loads of “likes” and me too’s (yes I have an account, just don’t use it)

    The internet is probably the greatest thing from the twentieth century with the power of knowledge and good, yet probably 90% of it is now misinformation, information gathering & marketing and hatred.

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    Mute Tommy Shannon
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 9:30 PM

    Faceache

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