Trump Orders Investigation into Federal Government's Handling of Free Speech
NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday ordered that no federal officer, employee or agent may unconstitutionally abridge the free speech of any American citizen.
The president's executive order, issued just hours after he was sworn in to a second term, comes after Trump and his supporters have accused the federal government of pressuring social media companies to take down lawful posts over concerns around misinformation.
Campaign Promise to Dismantle 'Censorship'
The order also instructs the attorney general, in consultation with other executive agency heads, to investigate how federal government actions over the four years of the Biden administration could have infringed on free speech and propose "remedial actions" based on the findings.
Trump's Stance Against 'Censorship Cartel'
Trump's order shows how motivated he is to crack down on what he calls the "censorship cartel" on his first day in office. It's a winning stance among his supporters, many of whom feel that the federal government has unfairly targeted lawful speech from right-wing voices.
Criticisms and Controversies
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has recently echoed that accusation, saying senior Biden administration officials pressured his employees to inappropriately "censor" content during the COVID-19 pandemic. Elon Musk, the owner of the social platform X, has accused the FBI of illegally coercing Twitter before his tenure to suppress a story about Hunter Biden.
Disinformation and Misinformation
The Supreme Court last year sided with former President Joe Biden's administration in a dispute with Republican-led states over how far the federal government can go to combat controversial social media posts on topics including COVID-19 and election security.
Risks of Trump's Order
It's not yet clear how the order could affect the work that several U.S. agencies do to track false claims that pose threats to election security, including the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
Criticisms from Experts
Nina Jankowicz, the CEO of the American Sunlight Project, said that with the order Trump "seeks vengeance for a slight that never happened." She added that the order emboldens foreign actors and others "who use disinformation as a tool to destabilize our country and profit from lies."
International Implications
Trump's order focuses on Americans' speech. It's too soon to tell how that will influence the way federal agencies communicate with social media companies about false claims that originate abroad.
Free Expression and Press Freedom
At the same time, he frequently targets the press, calling journalists the "enemy of the people," and has threatened to seek retribution against the news media in his second administration, including suggesting that the broadcast licenses of certain television news networks should be pulled.
Relationship with Tech Billionaires
After having a rocky relationship with social media companies in the past, Trump has recently cozied up to the tech billionaires who run the platforms where Americans communicate with each other. He gave prime seats at his inauguration to Elon Musk, the owner of X, Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, and Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google, which owns YouTube.