US EditionTrump ‘took the freedom of speech away’ on flag burning: ‘Could not be more un-American,’ critics say
Trump's order directs prosecution of flag burning when it incites imminent violence despite Supreme Court rulings protecting it as free speech.
- President Donald Trump, at a White House antifa roundtable, said his administration 'took the freedom of speech away' while defending an August executive order prioritizing flag desecration prosecutions.
- Supreme Court rulings dating to 1989 establish that flag burning is protected political speech under the First Amendment, but prosecutions may apply if acts involve `imminent lawless action` or `fighting words` under Brandenburg v. Ohio.
- Public commentators and social users reacted that Wednesday remarks incensed observers and amounted to an assault on the First Amendment, with Dave Hale, conservative political commentator, writing `The one thing Trump is honest about-- his blatant authoritarianism.`
- The order directs immigration officials to consider revoking visas, residency, or naturalization for foreign nationals who burn flags, while enforcement includes a one-year penalty for inciting riots but executive orders do not change flag burning's legal status.
- Critics say this admission fits a broader pattern of actions that curb speech, noting Trump asserted his team has `many, many examples` of flag burning inciting violence, a claim lacking documented evidence.
17 Articles
17 Articles
Trump Admits: 'We Took The Freedom Of Speech Away' - Above the Law
In what may be the most accidentally honest moment of his presidency, Donald Trump just admitted what we’ve been documenting for months: “We took the freedom of speech away.” Yes, that’s literally what he said: For those who’ve been following Trump’s systematic assault on the First Amendment—which we’ve covered extensively at Techdirt—this admission is remarkable not for its content, but for its candor. Here’s a president whose supporters claim…
“We Took the Freedom of Speech Away” Is Somehow a Direct Quote From Donald Trump
If saying the quiet part out loud were an Olympic sport, President Donald Trump’s remarks at the White House yesterday would win a gold medal. “We took the freedom of speech away,” said Trump on Wednesday. The president was speaking to an audience of right-wing influencers at an anti-antifascism roundtable, flanked by Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. And he claimed that burning the American flag—an act the …
Trump Brags That He “Took the Freedom of Speech Away” From Protesters
President Donald Trump bragged that his administration “took the freedom of speech away” from protesters who burn the American flag during a rant against anti-fascists on Wednesday. While speaking about “antifa-inspired terror” in a meeting on the anti-fascist movement, Trump touted his recent executive order instructing Attorney General Pam Bondi to find ways to prosecute people who burn the… Source
Trump Admits: “We Took The Freedom Of Speech Away”
In what may be the most accidentally honest moment of his presidency, Donald Trump just admitted what we've been documenting for months: "We took the freedom of speech away." Yes, that's literally what he said: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6pgRjmH90p4 For those who've been following Trump's systematic assault on the First Amendment—which we've covered extensively at Techdirt—this admission is…
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