The state of free speech in Trump's America

A central promise of President Trump’s 2024 campaign was that, if elected, he would “restore free speech.” In September 2024, at a campaign rally in Wisconsin, Trump said, “I will bring back free speech in America because it’s been taken away.”

In December 2022, Trump released a campaign video about his commitment to free speech. “If we don’t have free speech, then we just don’t have a free country. It’s as simple as that,” Trump said in the video. “By restoring free speech, we will begin to reclaim our democracy, and save our nation,” Trump concluded.

Trump continued this narrative after he was elected. In his inaugural address, Trump promised to “immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America.” Trump pledged that “[n]ever again will the immense power of the state be weaponized to persecute political opponents.” One of Trump’s first actions as president was signing an executive order entitled “Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship.”

None of this has come to pass. During the campaign, Trump focused his complaints on private companies who chose to limit hate speech and other content. But the core principle of free speech is a prohibition on government interference. And Trump has been more than willing to use the power of the federal government to curb speech he disfavors.

Over the weekend, for example, the Trump administration ordered 2,000 members of the California National Guard to be deployed to shut down protests in Los Angeles about Trump’s immigration policies. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) described Saturday’s protests as “peaceful.” But Trump deployed the National Guard anyway, against the wishes of state and local officials. The protests were centered around federal immigration raids at workplaces in the greater Los Angeles area.

Trump's recent actions in Los Angeles are part of a sustained, multi-pronged attack on freedom of speech, targeting anyone who does not share Trump’s political ideology. A Popular Information investigation identified 22 actions taken by the Trump administration that undermine the principle of freedom of speech.

Trump retaliates against the Associated Press for using disfavored terminology

Trump has been punishing the Associated Press (AP) for months for continuing to refer to the “Gulf of Mexico” instead of the “Gulf of America,” a term Trump recently made up. In February, White House officials removed AP journalists from the press pool. In April, a federal judge ruled that the action violated the publication’s First Amendment rights and ordered White House officials to restore its access. But Trump continued to limit the AP’s access, including by “exclud[ing] them from Air Force One during his trip to the Middle East.” The Trump administration also said that it would no longer be reserving a regular press pool slot for three independent newswires, including the AP. On Friday, an appeals court ruled that the AP could be barred from some White House events.

Department of Justice announces it will target journalists who "undermine" Trump's agenda

In April, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it was reversing a policy from the Biden administration that prohibited government officials “from seeking journalists' records and compelling their testimony in leak investigations." A memo by Attorney General Pam Bondi indicated that “reporters’ records could be subpoenaed for reasons broader than unauthorized disclosures of classified information,” CBS News reported. The memo “decried leaks that ‘undermine’” Trump’s agenda.

FCC targets media companies over content Trump doesn’t like

After Trump took office, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr launched an investigation into CBS. The government investigation mirrors a private $20 billion lawsuit filed by Trump before he took office. Trump’s lawsuit accuses the company of deceptively editing an October 60 Minutes interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.

The FCC has also launched investigations into other media outlets. KCBS, a California radio station, is under investigation for reporting information about a nearby Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid. Carr also reinstated complaints against ABC for its hosting of a presidential debate and NBC for a Saturday Night Live episode featuring an appearance by Harris.

Carr threatened Comcast for its coverage of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, an immigrant who was sent to an El Salvador prison. “Comcast knows that federal law requires its licensed operations to serve the public interest,” Carr wrote on X. Carr has also ordered investigations into the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices at Comcast and Disney, which owns ABC.

ICE arrests immigrants who expressed support for Palestinians

The Trump administration has targeted numerous immigrants for their speech. Mahmoud Khalil, who is a legal permanent resident, was arrested in March by immigration agents for his leadership role in pro-Palestine protests at Columbia University. Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University, was taken into ICE custody for his statements about Palestine. In March, Rümeysa Öztürk, a PhD student at Tufts University, was detained by ICE for writing an op-ed criticizing the university’s response to the war in Palestine. Mohsen Mahdawi was taken into custody during a naturalization interview for his participation in pro-Palestine protests at Columbia. Khan Suri, Öztürk, and Mahdawi have all been released, but Khalil remains in detention.

Momodou Taal, a Cornell University graduate student who participated in pro-Palestine protests and sued the Trump administration for violating the First Amendment rights of pro-Palestine student activists, left the U.S. voluntarily after he was ordered to turn himself into ICE.

State Department revokes visas of foreign students who participated in pro-Palestine protests

According to the New York Times, at least 800 international students have had their visas revoked. Many of the students with revoked visas participated in pro-Palestine protests or “had minor brushes with the law.” In May, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to revoke some student visas.

Department of Defense bans hundreds of books from Naval Academy

In April, the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland removed almost 400 books from its library in order to comply with an order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office to remove library books containing “DEI.” Books about the Holocaust, feminism, and civil rights were removed, the AP reported. The majority of the books have since been returned to the shelves, but additional books are still being removed for review. The Army and Air Force libraries were also ordered to remove books related to DEI.

Department of Education threatens to revoke school funding for lessons about racism

In February, the Department of Education sent out a letter threatening to halt federal funding to any school that teaches students about "systemic and structural racism." The letter argues that these lessons "teach students that certain racial groups bear unique moral burdens that others do not." The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued the Department, arguing that the letter violated free speech. According to the ACLU, the order could have resulted in schools being punished for “teaching standard topics, like American history.” In April, multiple federal judges froze the order.

Trump administration punishes Harvard after university rejects speech restrictions

The Trump administration has spent months targeting Harvard University. In April, a letter from the Trump administration argued that some programs at Harvard, including the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, “fuel antisemitic harassment or reflect ideological capture.” The Trump administration ordered Harvard to stop recognizing some student groups, to conduct “merit-based admissions” and hiring, and to discontinue DEI programs. The Trump administration also demanded the university adopt “viewpoint diversity” in admissions and hiring — meaning it wanted Harvard to hire more conservative professors and accept more conservative students.

When Harvard refused, the government froze billions of dollars in grants to the university. Trump also announced that he was taking away the university’s tax-exempt status. An effort by the Trump administration to rescind Harvard’s right to enroll international students was blocked by a judge. Last week, Trump attempted to ban international students from entering the country to study at Harvard, but the proclamation was also temporarily blocked.

Trump threatens to pull funding for colleges and universities that permit protests

In March, Trump posted on Truth Social that federal funding would be halted for “any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests.” Trump has since cut funding to several universities, including Northwestern, Cornell, and Princeton. Columbia University, which lost $400 million in canceled grants and contracts, bent to Trump’s demands, promising to “overhaul its protest policies, security practices and Middle Eastern studies department.”

Departments of Veterans Affairs and State ban rainbow flags

The Secretary of Veterans Affairs banned pride and similar flags from “employees’ private offices and cubicles.” The Department of State is prohibiting consular posts from displaying flags not affiliated with the U.S., including LGBTQ pride flags.

Department of Defense bans books, instruction about race and gender

In February, the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), which runs a network of 161 primary and secondary schools, released a memo instructing educators to stop teaching “resources potentially related to gender ideology and discriminatory equity ideology that are under the operational compliance review.” The memo stated it was to “ensure compliance with executive orders.”

DoDEA schools were also instructed to remove books “potentially related to gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology” and cancel cultural awareness activities, including Black History Month. In April, students in DoDEA schools sued, arguing that the DoDEA’s actions violated their First Amendment rights.

State Department will block Fulbright scholarships that relate to diversity or inclusion

The Trump administration has also intervened in the Fulbright Program. A letter written by Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that State Department officials would “give the final sign-off” on who would be accepted into the program so that they could root “out any projects that could violate President Trump’s executive orders banning diversity, equity and inclusion,” Inside Higher Ed reported.

Trump administration defunds NPR and PBS for alleged "bias"

On May 1, Trump released an executive order instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to stop sending federal funds to the National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Trump accused the outlets of being “biased,” and said that tax dollars should only fund public broadcasting if it's “fair, accurate, unbiased, and nonpartisan.” NPR and PBS are both suing Trump, arguing that the executive order violates the First Amendment. Last week, the Trump administration formally requested that Congress claw back the funding for CPB for 2026 and 2027.

Trump administration guts Voice of America over disfavored speech

The Trump administration is attempting to shut down the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees the federally funded Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia, and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks.

In March, the White House posted an article stating that an executive order eliminating the USAGM “will ensure that taxpayers are no longer on the hook for radical propaganda.” The article included a list of Voice of America articles and actions that the White House did not agree with. In March, representatives for Voice of America sued the administration, arguing that the shutdown violated their freedom of speech. In April, a judge blocked the Trump administration’s attempt, but a panel on the federal appeals court stayed the majority of the ruling in May. Last week, USAGM senior advisor Kari Lake outlined plans to reduce the number of Voice of America employees from over 1,000 to 81. Radio Free Asia has also had to lay off “about 90 percent of its staff” because of the funding cuts.

Trump bans federal funds for grants that use certain terms related to gender

At the beginning of his term, Trump issued an executive order requiring federal government agencies to remove statements and policies related to “gender ideology.” The order also restricted federal grants, stating that “[f]ederal funds shall not be used to promote gender ideology” and that agencies should “ensure grant funds do not promote gender ideology.”

According to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), the government “cannot deny funds to grantees for exercising their own First Amendment rights.”

The National Endowment for the Arts is facing a lawsuit for requiring grant applicants to comply with Trump’s executive order about gender ideology. In April, a federal court acknowledged that the National Endowment for the Arts was likely violating the First Amendment, but declined to temporarily block the group’s action.

On Monday, a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from “enforcing anti-diversity and anti-transgender executive orders in grant funding requirements.”

Trump administration will deny applications of prospective immigrants based on social media posts

In April, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it would begin surveilling immigrants’ social media activity for “antisemitic activity.” According to an ICE statement that cited multiple of Trump’s executive orders, the policy could affect people “applying for lawful permanent resident status, foreign students and [immigrants] affiliated with educational institutions.” The Trump administration has frequently equated pro-Palestine statements and protests with antisemitism, and this policy could result in students who post statements in support of Palestine having their visas revoked. The Nexus Project, a nonprofit that fights antisemitism, said that “the Trump administration was going after immigrants in the name of tackling antisemitism,” Reuters reported.

The Trump administration has also reportedly halted student visa interviews as it is debating requiring students applying for visas to undergo social media vetting.

Trump administration denies entry to air traveler critical of Trump, quizzes others on political views

Under the Trump administration, people are being questioned at American airports due to their speech. In March, a French scientist on assignment for the French National Centre for Scientific Research was denied entry into the U.S. after messages criticizing Trump were found on his phone by immigration officials. The Trump administration denies that the scientist was denied entry due to the messages, but claims that he was “in possession of confidential information.”

In May, Hasan Piker, a left-wing online personality, was detained and questioned by Customs and Border Protection at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Piker, who is an American citizen, was questioned about his “job, his political affiliation, his opinion of Trump and whether he had any connections to terrorist groups” for hours before he was released.

In April, an attorney was detained by immigration officials at Detroit Metro Airport. Amir Makled, who is a U.S. citizen, was eventually released after showing immigration agents his phone contact list. Makled believes that he was targeted for representing a student who participated in pro-Palestine protests.

Trump administration censors 250 words and phrases from government websites

Federal government agencies have scrubbed hundreds of words from their websites in an effort to comply with Trump’s executive orders on DEI and gender ideology. According to PEN America, “more than 250 words and phrases [are] reportedly no longer considered acceptable by the Trump administration.” The New York Times reported that over 8,000 federal websites removed or changed content after Trump was inaugurated. Some of the removed content has since been restored following orders from multiple judges.

Trump administration pulls grant funding for American Bar Association after the group criticized Trump

In April, the American Bar Association sued the DOJ, arguing that the Trump administration canceled the organization’s federal grant funding as punishment for criticizing Trump. In May, a judge temporarily blocked the cancellation of $3.2 million in grants to the association.

Trump pulls security clearances from law firms that represented his political opponents

Trump has used executive orders to target law firms that have represented his political opponents. In March, Trump issued an executive order that pulled the security clearances of lawyers that worked for Perkins Coie, which represented Hillary Clinton in 2016. Trump also issued similar orders targeting Jenner & Block and WilmerHale, which both had ties to the Robert Mueller investigation. Susman Godfrey, which represented voting machine company Dominion and sued Fox News for airing false election fraud claims, was also targeted by an executive order. All of these orders have since been blocked.

Covington & Burling was also targeted with a presidential action suspending the security clearances of employees that advised former special counsel Jack Smith. Trump issued another executive order targeting Paul Weiss, but later rescinded the order after Paul Weiss bent to his demands and offered “$40 million in pro bono legal services.”

Trump yanks funding for scientific research that includes banned words and phrases

Federal government agencies have stopped funding scientific research projects using terms disfavored by the administration, including those related to LGBTQ issues, diversity, and the climate. According to NPR, over 1,000 grants have had their funding canceled by the Department of Health and Human Services. Last week, a group of University of California Berkeley researchers filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for cutting research funding, arguing that the funding cuts violated the researchers’ First Amendment rights.

Trump administration targets medical journals, accusing them of "political bias"

The Trump administration has also sent letters to medical journals “accusing them of political bias.” Ed Martin, the former interim U.S. attorney for D.C., sent letters “to at least three medical journals” that asked “a series of probing questions suggesting that the journals mislead readers, suppress opposing viewpoints and are inappropriately swayed by their funders.” At the end of May, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he may ban government scientists from publishing research in some top medical journals, arguing that “they’re all corrupt.” Officials at the Department of Veteran Affairs also ordered the department’s physicians and scientists to not publish work in medical journals “without first seeking clearance from political appointees" of Trump.