Trump threatens ABC’s Jonathan Karl to his face on live TV: ‘You have a lot of hate in your heart!'

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump turned a tense exchange into a personal threat when ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl pressed him about Attorney General Pam Bondi’s crackdown on “hate speech.”

The back-and-forth happened Tuesday morning as Trump fielded questions from reporters before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House for his departure to London.

Donald Trump clashes with Jonathan Karl over Pam Bondi’s crackdown

Pam Bondi has faced growing criticism for vowing to pursue people who engage in what she described as “hate speech,” including those cheering activist Charlie Kirk’s killing. When Jonathan Karl asked Trump about the move, the president responded sharply.

“She’d probably go after people like you! Because you treat me so unfairly! It’s hate! You have a lot of hate in your heart,” Trump told Karl.

Karl pressed further, asking if that would be appropriate. Trump shot back, “Maybe they’ll come after ABC. Well, ABC paid me 16 million dollars recently for a form of hate speech, right? Your company paid me $16 million for a form of hate speech, so maybe they’ll have to go after you.”

Donald Trump claims he ‘fixed’ Washington DC after blasting the left

After the heated exchange, Trump shifted his focus to Washington DC and the state of the country under his leadership.

“Look, we want everything to be fair. It hasn’t been fair. And the radical left has done tremendous damage to the country, but we’re fixing it,” he said.

He continued, “We have right now the hottest country anywhere in the world. And remember, one year ago, our country was dead. And now Washington DC is fixed, and I fix it.”

Trump went on to contrast his work with the city’s leadership. “The mayor was fine. The mayor, the mayor was just fine, okay? The mayor had the sick city for many years."

Trump said, "She’s been mayor for many years. The one that fixed it was me and my people, and it is so safe. You should take your beautiful wife tonight and have dinner down there."

“You won’t be shot, you won’t get accosted, you won’t even be looked at incorrectly by anybody. Washington, DC is safe, now we’re going to Memphis where it’s pretty rough, to put it mildly,” Trump added.

Pam Bondi clarifies 'hate speech' won't be prosecuted

Bondi on Tuesday took to X and wrote, “Hate speech that crosses the line into threats of violence is NOT protected by the First Amendment. It’s a crime,” Bondi wrote in a lengthy post on X.

She clarified remarks made on Katie Miller’s podcast where she suggested hate speech could be prosecuted under the law. 

“For far too long, we’ve watched the radical left normalize threats, call for assassinations, and cheer on political violence. That era is over,” she continued, citing US code.

The statement came after she fielded criticism over comments made to Miller earlier this week.

“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…,” Bondi said in an episode of ‘The Katie Miller Podcast' on Monday.

"Freedom of speech is sacred in our country, and we will never impede upon that right," Bondi said in her statement to Axios later.

"My intention was to speak about threats of violence that individuals incite against others," she added.

"Under President Trump, the Department of Justice will be unabashed in our efforts to root out credible, violent threats. We will investigate organizations that pursue illegal activities, engage in political violence, violate our civil rights, and commit tax or nonprofit fraud."

Internet calls Trump a ‘dictator’ after threatening Jonathan Karl on live TV

Online reactions erupted after the exchange aired, with many expressing alarm over Trump’s tone toward the press.

“We all know he can be extreme sometimes but he has to keep it in check,” wrote one user on X.

Ron Smith reacted strongly, writing, “Trump wants to rule us with an iron fist like Kim Jong Un. We’re a democratic nation. We won’t allow him.”

Another person said, “Terrifying. Trump just threatened a reporter on live TV — ‘we’ll go after people like you.’ That’s not a president. That’s an authoritarian thug with a grudge.”

One more viewer remarked, “This doesn’t make sense at all. You can’t sounding more like a dictator to the press.”

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online