Is Trump One of the Greatest Threats to Free Speech We’ve Seen in the Last 20 Years?

Jason Martin

May 14, 2025

Summary

This was my first-ever appearance on an online panel, kicking things off on The Raging Tomato, a lively, no-nonsense debate show hosted and moderated by the always-on-point Sara. About halfway through, the conversation spilled over into The Gauntlet, think of it as The Raging Tomato’s rebellious little sister: a bit messier, a bit grittier, and home to the second-string gladiators, which is exactly where I found my seat.

We tackled the age-old question of “Landlords vs. Overlords”, a debate exploring whether landlords are providing a vital service or reenacting feudalism in high-rise form. Spoiler: it got spicy.

🔴 Critics Say:

  • 🧨 1. Attacks on the Free Press (“Enemy of the People”)

    • Trump repeatedly called the media “the enemy of the people”, a phrase historically used by authoritarian regimes.

  • He singled out journalists and networks (e.g., CNN, NYT) and encouraged crowds to boo or threaten them at rallies.

  • This behavior undermines public trust in independent media and normalizes hostility toward journalists.

🧾 Example: Trump attacks on press documented by Committee to Protect Journalists

  • 🧨 2. Calls for Retaliation Against Critics

    • Trump threatened or suggested government action against individuals or companies who criticized him:
      • Tried to revoke broadcast licenses from NBC.

  • Floated targeting Amazon/Bezos via the USPS after Washington Post criticism.

  • Encouraged DOJ investigations into perceived enemies.

🧾 Example: Trump’s tweet: “Network news has become so partisan, distorted and fake that licenses must be challenged.”

  • 🧨 3. Encouragement of Online Harassment and Doxxing

    • Critics argue Trump’s dog-whistling and naming opponents on Twitter led to harassment or threats against private individuals, journalists, and even civil servants (e.g., election workers).

  • While not direct censorship, it creates a chilling effect on dissent—people fear public backlash or violence.

🧾 Example: Georgia election official Gabriel Sterling warned of threats after Trump’s rhetoric.

  • 🧨 4. Use of Presidential Power to Silence Protest or Dissent

    • Used federal forces to disperse peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square (June 2020) for a photo op.

  • Tried to label Black Lives Matter protesters as “terrorists” and threatened severe penalties.

🧾 Example: ACLU and others argued this use of force was unconstitutional suppression of free expression.

  • 🧨 5. Loyalty Demands and Cult of Personality

    • Critics say Trump demanded personal loyalty over institutional loyalty, punishing dissenting voices in his administration.

  • Fired or publicly attacked whistleblowers, inspectors general, and even military officials who criticized him.

🧾 Example: Firing of Lt. Col. Vindman after impeachment testimony.

🔥 Summary of the Argument:

Trump, according to critics, doesn’t just express opinions loudly—he weaponizes power, discredits dissent, and tries to control the narrative, using a blend of state influence, online mobs, and media delegitimization. This creates a climate of fear and conformity, which is the opposite of a healthy free speech environment.

🟢 Defenders Say:

  • 🛡️ 1. “Enemy of the People” and Media Attacks

Rebuttal:

  • Trump did not restrict media freedom—he criticized it, but didn’t censor it.

  • The press remained free to criticize him harshly every day, and it did.

  • Saying harsh things about the media is free speech itself—presidents like Obama, Bush, and even FDR also clashed with the press.

  • “Enemy of the people” was rhetoric aimed at what he saw as biased reporting, not journalism as a whole.

🗣️ “Free speech includes the right to call out bad journalism.”

  • 🛡️ 2. Retaliation Against Critics (NBC, Amazon, etc.)

Rebuttal:

  • No actions Trump took actually resulted in silencing or censoring these critics.

  • Ideas like removing licenses or investigating Amazon were floated, but never acted on meaningfully.

  • Presidents have always had tense relationships with major corporations and the press (e.g., JFK vs. steel companies, Obama vs. Fox News).

🗣️ “He complained a lot—but he didn’t use the state to silence them.”

  • 🛡️ 3. Online Harassment and Naming Critics

Rebuttal:

  • Trump’s social media was provocative but not incitement under the First Amendment.

  • He never directly told people to harass or attack anyone.

  • Public figures are regularly named and criticized; free speech includes the right to name public officials and debate them.

  • If people react badly, that’s on the individuals committing harassment, not the speaker.

🗣️ “You don’t lose your speech rights because someone else might overreact.”

  • 🛡️ 4. Lafayette Square and Protest Crackdowns

Rebuttal:

  • The protesters were not cleared for the photo op, according to later IG reports—law enforcement cleared the area to install fencing.

  • All presidents deal with protests; no First Amendment right guarantees protest wherever or whenever you want.

  • Trump never outlawed protests or criminalized dissent broadly.

🗣️ “He kept order during unrest—he didn’t cancel protest rights.”

  • 🛡️ 5. Loyalty Demands and Public Firings

Rebuttal:

  • Trump was entitled to hire and fire political appointees.

  • Firing someone isn’t the same as silencing them—Vindman, Fauci, and others continued speaking publicly.

  • Every administration removes internal dissenters— it’s politics, not persecution.

🗣️ “No one lost their speech—some just lost their jobs.”

✅ Summary of the Counter-Argument:

Critics confuse Trump’s confrontational style with a genuine threat to speech freedoms. Under his administration:

  • No laws were passed restricting speech or media rights.

  • Courts remained independent, and dissent was loud and legal.

  • Speech was messy, not suppressed.

The real threat, this side argues, might be cultural censorship from institutions that deplatform or cancel people for political views—not from Trump himself.

🏛️ How Other Presidents Criticized the Press:

President What They Said / Did Comparison to Trump
Thomas Jefferson “Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper.” Distrusted the press, but helped protect it via the First Amendment.
Abraham Lincoln Suspended some press freedoms during the Civil War (military censorship). Wartime restrictions, not peacetime insults.
Theodore Roosevelt Called some reporters “muckrakers” for digging up dirt, though he respected investigative journalism. Criticized tone, but saw media as part of democracy.
Franklin D. Roosevelt Manipulated the press skillfully; disliked critics but didn’t attack press freedom. Used radio to bypass hostile media, but never called them enemies.
Richard Nixon Called the press “the enemy” in private tapes (e.g., Watergate era). Similar tone privately, but didn’t launch public campaigns against them.
Barack Obama Criticized Fox News as biased and damaging. His DOJ also prosecuted more whistleblowers than any president. Criticized, yes—but avoided incendiary language and maintained public neutrality.

🧠 Key Difference:

While many presidents disliked the press, Trump uniquely weaponized the language of “traitor” and “enemy” against entire news organizations in public, fostering hostility from supporters toward journalists— sometimes leading to threats or violence.

🧠 In Plain English: The First Amendment Protects Your Right To:

🗽 Freedom What It Means
Religion You can practice any religion—or none at all. The government can’t establish an official religion (Establishment Clause) or stop you from practicing your beliefs (Free Exercise Clause).
Speech You can express your opinions, even if they’re unpopular, as long as they don’t incite violence or break other laws (e.g., libel, threats).
Press The media can publish information freely—even if it criticizes the government.
Assembly You can gather in groups for protests, rallies, or meetings.
Petition You can ask the government to change laws or fix problems, and you can protest without punishment.