The long-running, seething animosity that Donald Trump has for the free press continues to be on full display with each new day’s attack on the media that fails to sufficiently worship him. And it isn’t just an attack on the reporters than he singles out for his infantile insults, it’s an attack on the Constitution and the keystone American principles of freedom of speech.
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Despite his addiction to demanding from the media the constant attention that he craves, Trump can’t stop lambasting them when they accurately report on his recurrent foibles and flagrant crimes. His assault on the media regularly descends to wholly unconstitutional threats to shut down the outlets that he disapproves of and even to arrest and incarcerate reporters who offend him by doing nothing more than telling the truth.
SEE THIS: Trump at the ‘Justice’ Department: CNN, MSNBC, and Other Media are Illegal and ‘It Has to Stop’
Among the consequences of Trump’s perverse and un-America behavior is the recent advisory from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), warning reporters about the risks they now face should they consider traveling to the United States. The advisory states that…
“Foreign nationals whose countries do not meet U.S. vetting standards may be barred entry. Journalists will not be exempt and should anticipate potential restrictions or questioning when traveling to or from the United States.” […]
“Increased border control, inconsistent enforcement, and broad discretionary authority among border agents suggest an unpredictable environment which warrants proactive preparation.”
The CPJ cited some of the potential risks that journalists should be prepared for, such as “prolonged questioning at U.S. borders,” “device searches,” and “citizenship status and denied entry.” They warned of possible detention and provided an extensive checklist of measures to take prior to and during any U.S. visit. They suggested using burner phones and other devices that have been stripped of information that the reporter wouldn’t want border authorities to have access to.
If these sound like precautions that a reporter might have to take when entering a totalitarian state, that is not coincidental. According to Reporters Without Borders…
“Press freedom in the U.S. has fallen significantly in the past year, […] Once considered a bastion for free expression, the U.S. is now on par with developing countries that have few resources or protections dedicated to journalism.”
Testifying before Congress in February, Craig Aaron, President and Co-CEO of Free Press Action, enumerated the attacks on the free press by Trump and his administration that “is using the power of the government to shake down the media and quash dissent.” Including…
- Trump’s FCC chairman (and Project 2025 co-author), Brendan Carr’s threats to revoke broadcast licenses because he doesn’t like the viewpoints he sees on TV.
- Trump’s lawsuit against CBS News for $20 billion because he didn’t like how 60 Minutes chose to edit an interview with Kamala Harris.
- Disney/ABC, Meta, maybe now CBS — paying tens of millions of dollars to settle specious lawsuits. They appear to be paying off the president to shield themselves from reprisal or gain regulatory favors.
- All the billionaire owners of these companies line up on the dais at the president’s inauguration clutching million-dollar checks to show their loyalty.
It is undeniable that, under the Trump regime, America has fallen to new lows with regard to its First Amendment protections of the free press. And that is by design of the aspiring authoritarian currently occupying the White House. Trump is taking his cues from his idols Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, and Viktor Orbán.
And Trump won’t stop until he he is forced to by those in the media who are not afraid of him, by those in Congress who have the courage to perform their constitutionally mandated duties, and by patriotic Americans who refuse to be oppressed by a wannabe dictator.
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