This post is periodically updated with new attacks on the media by the president.
Donald Trump has pledged to defend the Constitution 鈥� 鈥� but he can鈥檛 seem to lay off that pesky First Amendment.
Trump has mocked the First Amendment鈥檚 right to freedom of religion by calling for a ban on Muslims from entering the country and those who believe in the freedom of speech as 鈥渇oolish people.鈥� He has endorsed and the who burn the flag. He has attempted to silence and marginalize his critics by forcing staff, and even , to sign unconstitutional non-disclosure agreements and revoking, or threatening to revoke, the security clearances of former administration officials. His administration has also proposed to dramatically limit the right to protest near the White House and on the National Mall.
And Trump has made it very clear that he doesn鈥檛 stand for the freedom of the press. As a presidential candidate, he supporters he would 鈥渙pen up our libel laws鈥� to sue journalists. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to have people sue you like you鈥檝e never got sued before,鈥� he promised.
Trump the candidate also reporters and entire news outlets from campaign events, to journalists as 鈥渟cum鈥� and 鈥渟lime,鈥� and a reporter for having a disability. He vowed to women who reported incidents of sexual harassment and assault, along with the outlets that covered their , and threatened a lawsuit against a for calling out his bigoted remarks.
"I would never kill them but I do hate them,鈥� he of reporters. 鈥淎nd some of them are such lying, disgusting people.鈥�
This onslaught didn鈥檛 stop once Trump assumed the presidency. From the most powerful perch on the planet, he has continued to wage attacks on the free press, further revealing his authoritarian impulses and disdain for the First Amendment.
Below we provide a running list of attacks that the president has made on the press since assuming office. We鈥檒l keep this list updated since, unfortunately, we don鈥檛 expect them to stop.
Trump has:
- a violent attack on a reporter by Montana Rep. Greg Gianforte.
- Presided over a Justice Department investigation in which years' worth of email and phone records belonging to a New York Times reporter were seized in connection with a leak investigation.
- Threatened to change libel laws to make it easier to sue publishers and news organizations following the release of an unflattering book.
- against a journalist and publisher over a book that includes critical statements about him.
- Demanded the Washington Post a reporter over an inaccurate tweet about the crowd size at a Trump rally, which the reporter apologized for and deleted.
- Urged people to ABC News over a retracted report, which Trump claimed caused the stock market to fall and investors to lose money.
- On the day that Russia restrictions on foreign news outlets, tweeted: 鈥淐NN International is still a major source of (Fake) news, and they represent our Nation to the WORLD very poorly. The outside world does not see the truth from them!鈥� He then a contest between CNN and other outlets, apart from Fox, to see which has 鈥渢he most dishonest, corrupt and/or distorted in its political coverage of your favorite President (me).鈥�
- Said it is 鈥� the way the press is able to write whatever they want to write鈥� in a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
- to the broadcast licenses of media companies that offer negative coverage of him.
- Had the White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, call on ESPN to for criticizing him.
- Tweeted mocking images of him and his campaign .
- Overseen a Justice Department of policies for subpoenaing media organizations in an effort to crack down on both whistleblowers and journalists. As of November 2017, investigations of leaks by the department reportedly grew under Jeff Sessions.
- Pledged to 鈥溾�� with a Polish leader hostile to press freedom.
- Attacked reporters , who has fostered a climate of .
- Said that his mission to 鈥渄rain the swamp鈥� begins 鈥溾��
- Reportedly asked then-FBI Director James Comey to reporters who publish classified information.
- Tasked his former chief of staff with looking into .
- Explored the prosecution of for publishing CIA and State Department materials.
- Labeled the 鈥渇ake news鈥� media 鈥�.鈥�
- Accused the media of about his 鈥渧ery nice鈥� conversation with the Australian prime minister. Ultimately, a of the call showed it was Trump who was lying.
- Urged someone to buy the New York Times to 鈥�.鈥�
- Said members of the 鈥淔ake News & totally dishonest Media鈥� have 鈥� who have given up on the TRUTH!鈥�
- Threatened to who write 鈥渘egative鈥� stories about him while admitting he considers negative media coverage to be 鈥淔ake鈥�: 鈥�91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake). Why do we work so hard in working with the media when it is corrupt? Take away credentials?鈥�
- Called for a into 鈥淪aturday Night Live鈥� after watching a rerun of an episode parodying him.
- Wondered why 鈥渢he Networks get away with these total Republican hit jobs ?鈥�
- Tweeted that the 鈥淔ake News is the !鈥�
- Unsuccessfully the press credentials of CNN journalist Jim Acosta.
- Said that he is 鈥溾�� to have 鈥済reat鈥� stories published about him in the New York Times.
- Brazil鈥檚 authoritarian president for denouncing the 鈥渇ake news.鈥�
- Announced plans to presidential debates held by 鈥淔ake News Networks.鈥�
While Trump tries to portray journalists at the 鈥渆nemies鈥� of Americans, it鈥檚 his attacks on the press that amount to an assault on the cornerstone of American democracy: the First Amendment.
Learn More 老澳门开奖结果 the Issues on This Page
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Press ReleaseDec 2024
Free Speech
National Security
老澳门开奖结果 and Partners Urge Supreme Court to Block TikTok Ban老澳门开奖结果 and Partners Urge Supreme Court to Block TikTok Ban
WASHINGTON 鈥� Today, the 老澳门开奖结果, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), and the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to block the enforcement of a law that would effectively ban people in America from using TikTok as soon as January 19, 2025. Earlier this month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rejected TikTok鈥檚 challenge to the law. TikTok has asked the Supreme Court for a temporary injunction to prevent the app from being banned while the court considers whether to take the case, saying that unless the justices intervene, the law will 鈥渟hutter one of America鈥檚 most popular speech platforms the day before a presidential inauguration.鈥� 鈥淭he Constitution imposes an extraordinarily high bar on this kind of mass censorship,鈥漵aid Patrick Toomey, deputy director of 老澳门开奖结果鈥檚 National Security Project. 鈥淭he Supreme Court should take up this important case and protect the rights of millions of Americans to freely express themselves and engage with others around the world.鈥� The brief argues that the D.C. Circuit failed to fully address the law鈥檚 profound implications for the First Amendment rights of the 170 million Americans who use TikTok. While the lower court鈥檚 decision correctly recognized that the statute triggers First Amendment scrutiny, it barely addressed users鈥� First Amendment interests in speaking, sharing, and receiving information on the platform. The court also perplexingly attempted to cast the government鈥檚 ban on TikTok as a vindication of users鈥� First Amendment rights, which it is not. The rights groups also explain that the law was intended to suppress certain content and viewpoints that many legislators believe could be amplified on TikTok, including the risk of foreign 鈥減ropaganda.鈥� But under the First Amendment, the government must meet a very high bar to restrict speech based on concerns about its 鈥渕otivating ideology鈥� or 鈥減erspective,鈥� and the government has not come close to meeting that bar here. 鈥淭he government should not be able to restrict speech, especially to the extent here, based on guessing about the mere possibility of uncertain future harm,鈥� said David Greene, civil liberties director at EFF. 鈥淭he Supreme Court should put the TikTok ban on hold while it considers the DC Circuit鈥檚 erroneous ruling.鈥� Finally, the brief underscores that the government can鈥檛 impose this type of sweeping ban unless it鈥檚 necessary to prevent extremely serious and imminent harm to national security. But the government has not provided evidence of impending harm, or evidence that banning TikTok is the only available way to address its concerns. As the brief explains, the D.C. Circuit improperly treated the government鈥檚 invocation of 鈥渘ational security鈥� as a trump card and failed to hold the government to its burden. 鈥淩estricting citizens鈥� access to foreign media is a practice that has long been associated with repressive regimes, and we should be very wary of letting the practice take root here,鈥� said Jameel Jaffer, executive director at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. 鈥淚t would do lasting damage to the First Amendment and our democracy if the Supreme Court let this ban go into effect even temporarily.鈥� You can find the brief online here: https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24A587/335380/20241217144322392_24A587%20TikTok%20v%20Garland%20Amicus%20Brief%20pdfa.pdf -
MississippiJul 2024
Free Speech
Privacy & Technology
NetChoice v. FitchNetChoice v. Fitch
Whether a law that mandates age verification for all users of social media services violates the First Amendment. -
News & CommentaryDec 2024
Free Speech
Can you define pornography? Neither can the government.Can you define pornography? Neither can the government.
We break down the absurd-but-true history of trying to censor sexual speech under the guise of "keeping kids safe." -
Minnesota Supreme CourtNov 2024
Free Speech
Energy Transfer LP v. Greenpeace International, Unicorn RiotEnergy Transfer LP v. Greenpeace International, Unicorn Riot
This case in the Minnesota Supreme Court asks whether the MFFIA's protections apply to newsgatherers even if they are alleged to have engaged in trespassing while newsgathering. The 老澳门开奖结果鈥檚 State Supreme Court Initiative, alongside the 老澳门开奖结果 of Minnesota and law firm Biersdorf & Associations, filed a brief representing Unicorn Riot, a media organization that covered protests of the Dakota Access Pipeline. The brief argues that MFFIA and constitutional reporter鈥檚 privileges, under both the U.S. and Minnesota constitutions, protect Unicorn Riot from having to comply with Energy Transfer鈥檚 subpoenas.