GOP lawmaker says Trump is wrong to threaten the media in wake of Kimmel controversy

(CNN) 鈥� Rep. Don Bacon is leaving Congress next year 鈥� and offering some of the sharpest criticism to date of of anyone in his party.

Bacon, a Republican who has represented a Nebraska swing district for the past eight years, says the GOP has departed from the conservative ideology that had dominated the party for decades. Instead, under Trump, he contends that the party has taken an insular turn and an isolationist approach to the world and protectionist economic policy 鈥� both of which, he warned, make the US less secure.

In a wide-ranging interview with CNN鈥檚 Manu Raju, Bacon raised concerns over Trump and the First Amendment in the wake of controversy over 鈥� going to criticize him directly.

鈥淚 think the President doing threats against media is also wrong. We don鈥檛 threaten the media,鈥� Bacon said on 鈥淚nside Politics Sunday.鈥�

He added later: 鈥淭o threaten media and say you鈥檙e going to pull their license, that鈥檚 not what America鈥檚 about. We do have a freedom of speech, freedom of the press. We should, we should defend that.鈥�

Disney鈥檚 ABC Kimmel鈥檚 show off the air indefinitely amid controversy over his recent comments about Charlie Kirk鈥檚 suspected killer.

The move Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr suggested Kimmel should be suspended and said, 鈥淲e can do this the easy way or the hard way.鈥�

鈥淐ongratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done,鈥� Trump wrote in on his Truth Social platform last week.

While Bacon did think that pulling of Kimmel from the air was 鈥渂y and large鈥� a business decision by ABC, he called the threats from Carr a 鈥渕istake.鈥�

鈥淭here鈥檚 a difference between threatening media and saying you鈥檒l pull their license. That鈥檚 not right, it鈥檚 wrong to say you鈥檙e going to prosecute that,鈥� he said.

Bacon said Trump should tone down the rhetoric in the wake of the Kirk assassination rather than blaming 鈥渓eft-wing violence鈥� and lamented that the president centers on 鈥渁nger and opposition.鈥� He argued the president missed the moment to instead unify the country in the days after.

鈥淗e had a chance to be more Ronald Reagan to try to unify on both sides out of this, it would be one thing if it was more Republicans being murdered, but it鈥檚 not. We see, we see on both sides,鈥� he said, adding that 鈥渢his affects everybody.鈥�

鈥業 don鈥檛 think people voted for him for tariffs鈥�

Bacon was one of the Republicans who nearly sank a procedural vote on the floor last week over a provision that would restrict Congress鈥� ability to be a check on tariffs enacted by the president.

Bacon, a vocal critic of tariffs, said the use of the tool is 鈥渉is position not mine,鈥� referring to Trump, and said, 鈥淚 think a lot of my colleagues actually agree that they鈥檙e reluctant to go against the signature policy that he ran on. I don鈥檛 think people voted for him for tariffs.鈥�

When asked if he thought the president was overreaching on tariffs, Bacon said, 鈥淗e is by far.鈥�

鈥淏ut I would, I see damage being done because of tariffs. Iowa and Nebraska are really struggling right now with our farm economy. We鈥檙e not growing markets for corn or soybeans. The president鈥檚 making trade deals. But not a single country that I could see, has bought more corn or soybeans,鈥� he said.

What bothers Bacon the most

Another point of divergence between the congressman and the president is isolationism from allies. Bacon, who has been critical of Trump鈥檚 at times seemingly close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Trump has helped bring Putin in from the 鈥渨ilderness.鈥�

鈥淗e seems to go too far in accommodating Putin and he does very little to accommodate [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky or Ukraine,鈥� he said.

Bacon, who said the president has lacked 鈥渕oral clarity鈥� in his handling of Russia鈥檚 war in Ukraine, pointedly refused to say if Trump has the moral character he wants to see in a president.

鈥淚 just think we gotta be careful about that,鈥� Bacon said.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 see the moral clarity right now out of the White House, Ronald Reagan had the moral clarity,鈥� he said, saying Trump 鈥渟ends out such mixed messages on NATO and totally morally ambiguous messages about Ukraine and Russia. It really, it鈥檚 probably the thing that bothers me the most.鈥�

The congressman said he hopes the significant changes he has seen to the Republican Party are not a 鈥減ermanent remaking.鈥�

Despite his upcoming departure from Congress, Bacon said he will continue to speak up. And while he is 鈥渁 little bit鈥� concerned with Republicans in his party showing a lack of independence, he thinks in his next act he could 鈥渉ave a good role in supporting traditional Republicans and try to swing this back to where. 鈥� I was very comfortable with Ronald Reagan.鈥�