Washington DC - President Donald Trump on Friday suggested that negative coverage of his administration should be "illegal" as he stepped up its attacks on freedom of speech.

"They'll take a great story and they'll make it bad. See I think it's really illegal, personally," Trump, who has sued multiple major news organizations this year, told reporters gathered in the Oval Office.

The 79-year-old, an avid television watcher, focused his rant on TV networks, reiterating a claim that coverage of him and his administration is "97% bad" and should be punished by the federal government.

He also defended the head of the Federal Communications Commission FCC, Brendan Carr, whose threats against broadcasters have sparked a national debate over free speech and caused some unease even among Republicans.

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Carr on Wednesday criticized Kimmel's remarks on the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and threatened broadcasters who carry his show with possible sanctions.

Hours later, ABC announced Kimmel's show was suspended indefinitely.

On Friday, Trump called Carr "an incredible American patriot with courage."

Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a close Trump ally, meanwhile said he believes it's dangerous for a government to put itself in a position to say what speech it may or may not like.

Trump faced a setback in his anti-media crusade, with a federal judge issuing a scathing ruling and tossing out his $15 billion defamation lawsuit against the New York Times.