The Situation
In the context of protecting conservative speech on social media, President Trump called first amendment (the amendment which establishes freedom of expression (Volokh, 2026)) “an amendment essential to the success of our Republic”–one which “enshrines the right of the American people to speak freely in the public square without Government interference” (White House, 2025). At his second inauguration, the president said that “Never again will the immense power of the state be weaponized to persecute political opponents” (Lillydahl, 2025). Clearly this represents a firm stance in support of freedom of expression.
However, even given this favorable environment, it can be said that speech and press disagreeing with the President and his policies have been viewed differently over the past year, the first year of President Trump’s second term in office (Benavidez, 2025).
President Trump has repeatedly said that criticism of himself or his policies is “illegal” (without citing any relevant law) (Kapur, 2024).
President Trump has said that public criticism, rather than being protected speech, is an illegal and incorrect use of the airwaves (Sentner, 2025)
President Trump has, in a published statement, (successfully) called for the firing of, for example, television personalities such as Stephen Colbert, for being critical of his administration in the form of humor (Trump, 2024).
When asked about the free speech aspects of his attacks on the press and media, President Trump has said that when most coverage is “bad,” it’s “no longer free speech” (Sentner, 2025), though news coverage of the government isn’t one of the class of permissible restrictions on free expression (Volokh, 2026).
The overall tone of the President’s practical position on freedom of expression is that when it disagrees with his opinions or paints him in a less than positive light is a dark one, evidently intended to silence criticism.
The Disagreement
I disagree with President Trump about the legality of criticism of government. While he contends that it is “illegal,” it is in fact not only legal, but the law of the land from the constitution on down (Volokh, 2026).
Founding Fathers, 1791: “Amendment 1. Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” (Volokh, 2026).
I disagree with President Trump about opposing his critics, such as Colbert, to the extend of threatening their livelihoods or other punishment of free expression. As Theodore Roosevelt underscored in 1918, it’s important to be able to criticize the president in a functioning democracy (Roosevelt Association, No Date).
Theodore Roosevelt, 1918: “To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public” (Roosevelt Association, No Date).
Desired Resolution
I encourage President Trump to use the power and prestige of his office to protect freedom of expression, regardless of whether the sentiments being expressed are agreed with or not. To show, not just say, that the first amendment is “essential to the success of our Republic.” I call on President Trump to ensure that the “immense power of the state” never be allowed to be “weaponized to persecute political opponents.” I encourage President Trump to vigorously defend freedom of expression of all, friends and foes alike, to work to make the United States of America a beacon of freedom for the world; to teach the nations through strong, compassionate leadership how freedom should look.
May God bless President Trump and the United States of America.
References
Volokh, Eugene and Britannica (Editors). “First Amendment.” 1/1/2026 https://www.britannica.com/topic/First-Amendment – Accessed 1/1/2026.
The White House (Editors). “Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship.” 1/20/2025. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/restoring-freedom-of-speech-and-ending-federal-censorship/ – Accessed 1/1/2026.
Lillydahl, Alice. “The Trump Administration’s Dangerous Embrace of Cancel Culture.” 12/2/2025. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-trump-administrations-dangerous-embrace-of-cancel-culture/ – Accessed 1/1/2026.
Benavidez, Nora. “I Counted Trump’s Censorship Attempts. Here’s What I Found.” 12/31/2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/opinion/trump-first-amendment-dissent.html – Accessed 1/1/2026. “We took the freedom of speech away.” “Mr. Trump and his administration have tried to undermine the First Amendment, suppress information that he and his supporters don’t like and hamstring [the] academic, legal and private sectors through lawsuits and coercion.”
Kapur, Sahil. “Trump escalates rhetoric on outlawing political dissent and criticism.” 10/13/2024. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/totally-illegal-trump-escalates-rhetoric-outlawing-political-dissent-c-rcna174280 – Accessed 1/1/2026. “Totally illegal”
Sentner, Irie. “Trump: ‘It’s no longer free speech.'” 9/19/2025. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/19/trump-no-longer-free-speech-00574219 – Accessed 1/1/2026. “It’s no longer free speech.”
Trump, Donald. 9/24/2024. https://trumpstruth.org/statuses/26619 – Accessed 1/1/2026.
Theodore Roosevelt Association (Editors). “Quotations from the speeches and other works of Theodore Roosevelt.” No Date. https://theodoreroosevelt.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=991271&module_id=339333 – Accessed 12/31/2025.