Nov. 10, 2025
By Jacob Collins Dodd
Staff Writer
Free speech is under attack in the United States. Since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term — which has been one of the most disastrous presidencies in American history — he has launched an overt and vicious effort to suppress activists, journalists, media companies and private citizens.
On Sept. 15, during comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue on his late-night talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” he chastised Trump and the Republican Party for exploiting the death of podcaster and white nationalist Charlie Kirk as well as their attempts to claim that Kirk’s killer was a radicalized Democrat.
Two days later, the chair of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, released a statement saying that ABC, Disney and Kimmel would be held accountable for spreading what he referred to as misinformation.
Trump told the Federal Communications Commission on Sept. 18 that it should revoke the broadcast licenses of television programs that criticize him. A day later, Trump doubled down on his attack on the press, stating that news reporters who negatively cover his administration are breaking the law.
Freedom of speech has been protected in the U.S. Constitution since the ratification of the Bill of Rights in 1791. It should go without saying that revoking broadcast licenses for critical coverage or jokes raises concerns about whether Americans have the right to express their views about the president and his actions without fearing the consequences.
On Sept. 16, Trump filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against the New York Times and accused the newspaper of serving as “a virtual mouthpiece for the Radical Left Democratic Party,” while alleging the publication made false statements about him, his family and his businesses. Three days later, a federal judge in Florida dismissed the case, calling the complaint “improper and impermissible.”
Freedom of speech has been protected in the U.S. Constitution since the ratification of the Bill of Rights in 1791.
Since his first presidential campaign in 2016, when Trump popularized the term “fake news,” he has repeatedly sought to delegitimize and attack journalistic institutions and organizations that report critically on him and his administration.
He publicly and vehemently opposes those who report on him disapprovingly, going so far as to say, “I hate my opponent, and I don’t want the best for them,” during Kirk’s memorial service on Sept. 21.
The following day, Trump signed an executive order designating antifa as a domestic terrorist organization, claiming that its viewpoints and protests threaten the U.S. government.
Antifa, which is short for “anti-fascists,” is not an organization or a group, but rather a political movement that is a loose, leaderless affiliation consisting of independent individuals who oppose fascism, racism and other forms of far-right extremism. Since the beginning of Trump’s presidency, he and his devotees have used it as a pejorative term to describe any left-leaning or liberal protest activities. However, these claims lack sufficient evidence.
Considering that antifa is simply an umbrella term for those who support an anti-fascist society, designating it as a terrorist organization is deeply problematic. Any individual whom Trump deems to be a member of this affiliation can now be criminally targeted and prosecuted as a domestic terrorist.
ILLUSTRATION BY BETHANY RANERO
After more than five decades of receiving federal support, on Oct. 1, Trump implemented devastating budget cuts to National Public Radio, the Public Broadcasting Service and their member stations. Cutting $1.1 billion that was allocated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, this diversion of federal funds puts more money in the pockets of billionaires who continue to exert power over politics and media.
In what can only be described as a blatant attack on free speech, Trump and his administration are working to undermine public trust in the government and the very platforms and protections that allow citizens to speak, organize and live freely.
Trump’s assertions of dictatorial power and authoritarian actions against individuals, institutions and journalists who oppose him establish a dangerous precedent. But precedents can either be repeated or rejected.
Trump and his administration have made their stance on free speech clear. If you challenge them or ask the wrong questions in Trump’s America, you may be sued, arrested or even defunded. For a nation built on the value of free speech, the question is now whether that promise still stands.
