CNN Shelves Documentary On The ‘Imperial Presidency’ After Ass*ssination Attempt

In what might be a faint sign that the mainstream media is backing off from its heated rhetoric in the wake of Saturday’s shooting, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria confirmed this week that a documentary he’s been working on would not air as scheduled.

Though his post did not mention the incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner directly, the Daily Caller put the pieces together:

In the documentary, Zakaria will examine “the steady expansion of presidential power in America – a decades-long evolution that predates Donald Trump – and explores how and why the presidency has grown far beyond what the nation’s founders envisioned,” according to its summary on DirecTV’s website.

Participants in multiple “No Kings” protests have claimed that Trump is exceeding his authority under the Constitution, citing Trump’s imposition of sweeping tariffs as one example. The Supreme Court declared Trump had exceeded his powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) in a 6-3 February ruling issued that struck down his use of the act to impose reciprocal levies on imported goods.

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Allen’s relatives told law enforcement that the suspected gunman attended at least one of the anti-Trump “No Kings” demonstrations.

Plenty of social media users speculated about a similar motive in their responses to Zakaria’s post:

'Huh, my incendiary documentary where I twist the truth to make someone look bad and to rile people against him needs to be held back after the third assassination attempt on them' pic.twitter.com/fHha4cVid2

— RapidStupid (@RapidStupid) April 27, 2026

If you're waiting for leftists to stop doing crazy stuff to post your “documentary” you're never going to be able to release it.

— Nick Freitas (@NickJFreitas) April 27, 2026

Didja realize that calling Trump "LITERALLY HITLER" was inspiring political violence from leftists? 😏

— The President of all the Gays (@TheGayPres) April 27, 2026

“We’re worried that airing this unhinged, partisan hit-piece on Trump will make people notice that our work is designed to give lunatics the justifications they need for violence. So we’ll reschedule.”

— RobberBeren (@RobberBeren) April 27, 2026

Fox News also reported on CNN’s decision and the reaction from critics:

“Our latest screed against our evil emperor will be delayed until we return to our screechy normal,” NewsBusters executive editor Tim Graham joked.

New York Post columnist Karol Markowicz asked, “Is it because your rhetoric is making people violent and crazy?”

Podcaster Jim Treacher mocked the notion of an “imperial presidency” when multiple CNN journalists were expected to dine with Trump on Saturday before gunfire brought the dinner to a sudden halt.

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