“In the past few days, we’ve engaged in deep discussions with Jimmy, and following these talks, we decided to bring the show back on Tuesday.”

Two days after the show was taken off the air, Trump again complained about negative media coverage of him, which he said he thought was “illegal”.

Just 48 hours after Kimmel’s monologue, Brendan Carr, the chair of the Federal Communications Commission, warned that ABC affiliates airing the show might have their licenses revoked. Source: Getty / ABC / Randy Holmes

The Kimmel episode unfolded a week after Kirk, a close Trump ally, was shot dead on a Utah university campus, setting off a bitter battle over responsibility in deeply polarised America, with conservatives — including Trump — blaming “the radical left”.

“This is not how an adult grieves the murder of somebody called a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish,” Kimmel said.