President Trump Signs Executive Order Targeting Censorship and Protecting Free Speech
President Donald Trump marked the first day of his second term by signing an executive order aimed at safeguarding Americans’ constitutional right to free speech. The order prohibits federal employees, officers, or agents from engaging in or facilitating any actions that would unconstitutionally restrict speech. It also directs government agencies to identify and address any past misconduct related to censorship of constitutionally protected expression.
The executive order responds to growing concerns about federal involvement in social media censorship, an issue that gained traction during the previous election cycle and the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience where he admitted that officials in the Biden administration had asked Facebook to remove certain posts, including memes the administration opposed.
“Under the guise of combatting ‘misinformation,’ ‘disinformation,’ and ‘malinformation,’ the Federal Government infringed on the constitutionally protected speech rights of American citizens across the United States in a manner that advanced the Government’s preferred narrative about significant matters of public debate,” the order stated. “Government censorship of speech is intolerable in a free society.”
Trump’s order mandates an investigation by the attorney general into any federal actions over the past four years that may have infringed on free speech. The attorney general will also be tasked with proposing any “remedial actions” as a result of the investigation’s findings.
“The Attorney General, in consultation with the heads of executive departments and agencies, shall investigate the activities of the Federal Government over the last 4 years that are inconsistent with the purposes and policies of this order and prepare a report to be submitted to the President, through the Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, with recommendations for appropriate remedial actions to be taken based on the findings of the report,” the order added.
