Is President Trump a Threat to Our Freedom of Speech?

Originally Published March 1, 2017

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“The enemy of the American people”-- these are the words President Donald Trump used to describe journalists,  the press, and the media--more specifically, CNN, The New York Times, and NBC News. In an impromptu press conference held on February 17th, Trump took the opportunity to clarify his agenda in light of the sensationalism surrounding his policies so far. Additionally, he made a tweet (directly towards the previously stated news outlets) that was soon deleted, stating how he believed the press and the media were “sick.” Since the controversial speech was made and the tweet was created--and dissension has spread amongst the citizens of the United States, and it has been brought to the attention by many that Trump may be a threat to the first amendment--specifically freedom of speech.

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A tweet from President Trump on February 17 (Image 1)

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Other political figures, such as Republican Senator John McCain, have spoken out about Trump’s rather contentious statement(s). McCain, as he stated himself during an interview with Meet the Press, believes that, “A fundamental part of that new world order was a free press… But the fact is, we need you. We need a free press. We must have it. It’s vital. If you want to preserve democracy as we know it, you have to have a free and, many

times, adversarial press. And without it, I’m afraid that we would lose so much of our individual liberties over time. That’s how dictators get started.” McCain also states that he hates the press, yet says he believes we, the American people, need it, for without it, a “dictatorship” would begin. Additionally, McCain says that Trump must “learn the lessons of history” in order to prevent a supposed dictatorship or form of tyranny from being created.

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Senator John McCain (Image 2)

 

So, with all of this new, possibly even threatening, information brought to light, Trump is now seen as a serious danger to the press, especially the journalists and news outlets of liberal America--a threat to the freedom of speech. 

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