On Thursday, one month after announcing his 2024 bid to retake the White House, former President Donald Trump rolled out his first major policy of the campaign cycle, outlining a bold and detailed plan to restore free speech through much-needed reforms of government agencies, Big Tech giants, universities, and media entities.
In a video posted on his Truth Social page, Trump promised that, if elected, he would “shatter the left-wing censorship regime and reclaim the right to free speech for all Americans.”
“If we don’t have free speech, then we just don’t have a free country. It’s as simple as that,” Trump said. “If this most fundamental right is allowed to perish, then the rest of our rights and liberties will topple just like dominoes, one by one—they’ll go down.”
Trump’s announcement comes in the middle of the ongoing publication of the so-called “Twitter Files,” which have outlined the shocking extent to which Twitter executives conspired with federal bureaucrats to silence, censor, and blacklist Americans for exercising their First Amendment rights—including the de-platforming of Trump himself, who was at the time the sitting president of the United States.
Trump nodded to these revelations in Thursday’s video, saying that “In recent weeks, bombshell reports have confirmed that a sinister group of Deep State bureaucrats, Silicon Valley tyrants, left-wing activists, and depraved corporate news media have been conspiring to manipulate and silence the American people. They have collaborated to suppress vital information on everything from elections to public health.” As Trump outlined, there is only one solution: “The censorship cartel must be dismantled and destroyed.”
Trump then went on to lay out a five-part plan to combat the erosion of free speech rights, beginning with a promise to forbid the U.S. government from “colluding with any organization” to “impede the lawful speech of American citizens.” Through a day one executive order, Trump’s plan would mandate the firing of “every federal bureaucrat who has engaged in domestic censorship—directly or indirectly.” His plan also includes banning “federal money from being used to label domestic speech as mis- or dis-information.”
As the second part of his plan, Trump vowed to order the Department of Justice to investigate “all parties involved” in the “new online censorship regime,” as well as to “aggressively prosecute” all crimes. “To assist in these efforts,” Trump continued, “I am urging House Republicans to immediately send preservation letters” to parties including the Biden administration, the Biden campaign, and tech giants, ordering them “not to destroy evidence of censorship.”
Thirdly, Trump will seek a reform of Section 230 protections, which in recent years have effectively allowed formally private companies who manage what are effectively online public squares to suppress voices that do not align with their political worldview. “From now on, digital platforms should only qualify for immunity protection under Section 230 if they meet high standards of neutrality, transparency, fairness, and non-discrimination,” Trump said. He also called on tech companies to increase their regulation of illegal content—including child exploitation and terrorism—while ensuring all “lawful speech” is not arbitrarily curtailed.
Fourth, Trump called for the defunding of “all non-profits and academic programs that support this authoritarian project.” If any American college or university is “discovered to have engaged in censorship activities or election interference in the past,” Trump said, they should lose federal research money and student loan support for a period of five years. Trump called on Congress to pass “new laws laying out clear criminal penalties for federal bureaucrats who partner with private entities to do an end-run around the Constitution and deprive Americans of their First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendment rights.” Trump also proposed a seven-year “cooling-off period” before federal national security and intelligence agency employees can accept jobs at tech companies in possession of “vast quantities of U.S. user data.”
Finally, Trump petitioned Congress to enact a “digital Bill of Rights,” which would include a “right to digital due process” (requiring government to get a court order to request takedowns of online content) and a system by which social media users removed or restricted by their platforms have a right to an explanation of the reason why, as well as a timely appeal.
“The fight for free speech is a matter of victory or death for America—and for the survival of Western civilization itself,” Trump concluded. “When I am president, this whole rotten system of censorship and information control will be ripped out of the system at large… By restoring free speech, we will begin to reclaim our democracy and save our nation.”
From the days of the American Founding nearly 250 years ago, the American people and their government have always recognized free speech to be a crucial element of democratic self-government. And with legislative proposals like Trump’s—along with Elon Musk’s reshaping of the social media landscape—the national movement to rein in Big Tech, preserve free speech rights, and restore one of the most fundamental components of American democracy is only just beginning.
Truth!!!
Outstanding
Best news heard in so long!
Praying for TRUMP SUCCESS!!
Excellent, informative and
necessary if our Nation is going to survive.
Thank You !
Yes.
Only one who can save America! Got your back, Mr. President!
Bring smoke and fire to burn the trash. Go Trump. Four more in 24!!!
Sweet
Freedom of Speech/Religion! ????????????♥️
Praise The LORD…????✝️????
My favorite color is blue.
Freedom is Red if the Republican Party will unite together to vote Trump in as our 47th POTUS. ♥️????????????
President Trump was investigated by Special counselor, Mueller and a dozen biased Lawyers and could NOT find a crime against Trump.
Not counting hundreds of lawsuits and attempted two impeachments.
Also an unauthorized, unconstitutional (4th Amendment) search and seizure raiding Donald Trump.
And still no evidence of a crime against Trump.
Trump is the GREATEST vetted presidential candidate in our History!
Burn the trash!!! Go Trump!!!. Four more in 24!!!!
Excellent Free Speech!
What “We The People” Are All About
Will be great if he can get the House
Thanks for this article and please continue this very important work!
God will bless America once again using President Trump as his hammer for TRUTH.
Any American citizen that cannot support what President trump has called for is NOT an American. He shows TRUE leadership, as always.
All worthy goals. The key to succeding with most of this will be of course be Congress, both the House and Senate, actually backing Trump up the next time around. Congress, specifically many RINO Republicans, intentionally dragged their feet or outright tried to obstruct much of Trump’s agenda in his first term when they held the majority in both chambers of Congress. Which made getting anything done all that much harder and wasted crucial time we don’t have to waste. Still President Trump managed to accomplish more than any other President.
If McConnell is still the GOP Senate minority leader come 2025, I expect he would do everything in his power to derail President Trump’s efforts a second time around. McConnell has already said recently he has no use for MAGA anything. What we need is a Congress actually on the same page as President Trump and the American people, if President Trump ends up in the Oval Office again.
PRESIDENT TRUMP is AMERICAN and the GREATEST PRESIDENT EVER.
DICTATOR Beijing biden is COMMUNIST and TRAITOR who COMMITS TREASON EVERY DAY DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY.
Doesn’t take a genius to see who
CARES and TAKES CARE OF THE UNITED STATES of AMERICA and AMERICANS FIRST.
And it sure as hell isn’t DICTATOR Beijing biden.
Where’s Hunter’s Laptop investigation Including BOTH TAX RECORDS and IMPEACHMENT of DICTATOR Beijing biden for ESPIONAGE, CORRUPTION, ILLEGAL UNCONSTITUTIONAL EXECUTIVE ORDERS, and TREASON?
If he promises to never bring up the past , I’m onboard.
I believe. In everything that pres trump. want s to try to do
President Trump is great. He really had this country going in the right direction. Other than 7th grade name calling of opponents, he’s the best. He has my vote.
Pres Trump is deserving of a second term. He truly loves our country. The dems has totally ruined and corrupted our country along with many rhinos. If you can’t fight gor godly, moral values Than get out of politics. If DeSantis is smart he needs to promote Trump and not be used to run against him and give the election to the Dems. God Bless President Trump.
He is wrong to back RINO McCarthy for speaker,that’s been one of his falts, picking RINIOs to surround him,and he’s doing it again,he will be screwed if elected again.
Trump is as awful as the worst of the democrats. He wants giant government just like they do.
Although this is a wonderful plan, rumor control has it the Dems may be introducing a bill that would have Pres. Trump declared as an insurrectionist, then use provisions in the 14th amendment to have him “disqualified” from running for office. It might be possible if the all of the Dems, RINOs and those who dislike Pres. Trump voted and obtained the necessary majority then Pres. Trump would be out. The Dems will continue to use all the means necessary to keep out any person that threatens their agenda.
Face it Trump was good for the people. He has his problems but who doesn’t especially the ones pointing the fingers at him. All have sinned and need the grace of God. If he wins the primaries he’s got my vote.
Why can the GOP not understand that they work for us! And whom ever is voted in for president weather it is DJT or another Republican candidate they are expected of their base to back said president, because it’s the new president’s views that were obviously the deciding factor of why that person was voted President! Work with our chosen President and in conjunction with your base or be REMOVED! And stop caving to the Democratic Party on every issue, STOP calling your base names and wrongly accusing them of racism, anyone that knows any history or that doesn’t have their head so far up their out a- – can research the facts and see that the Democratic Party way back in the 60s was racist, always has been and always will be! They are NOT doing anything but working to divide this nation and a divided nation and divided peoples will tear itself apart! Pull yourselves together it’s NOT Reps against Dems, it’s us against them, it’s life and liberty or communism and slavery!
Those are great pro-American constitutional principles.
Those are great Pro-American principles that are basic to our Constitution!
We will never have free speech with the socialist democrats and progressive party in control. Free speech must be honest speech. President Trump needs to step down as he has too much baggage to help America and the Republican par ty. His time is over
Caution, Caution as you read the following comments, there is a mad RINO in the house, and he is trampling on other people’s comments, but not too weary he is not getting high marks for them!
The devil came to kill,still and destroy.Biden is working with the devil.He has taken this country and tore it apart.
Love his Free Speech Plan 2 bad his NFT got more press than PLan or both=.
Next Implement
Left is pooping bricks and will do everything to discredit if not destroy Trump
Are the people willing to listen to Trump? And this proposal? The mid terms showed us that they rather would see America go down in flames than keep America the country of the free and brave.
Can enough “Republicans” grow cojones to actually ACT against DIMM tyranny? I only know about a dozen for sure!
Trump all the way. Kyle L.
Wow! Most people do not trust government at all and the media,academia and big tech are joining that group. I think Trump will get just a few more votes with this proposal. But he will also have to enlist a large army of people that will be at the polling sites and everywhere that ballots are counted in 2024 to be sure of a valid election.
I agree with Trump. With him as president once again this country will go back to the values of the Constitution. It seems funny that Biden can say and accuse the Republicans for all that’s happen.
When Pelosi’s husband got hammered the first thing out of Biden’s mouth was The accusing Republicans being responsible.
I e_mailed him and told him I was a Republican and that he better make sure what he says is true because he could be setting himself up for a law suite. The reply I got was thank you for your concern. They never addressed the issue I wrote them about.
I voted for Trump and will again. With Trump America is safe and free.
Time for President Trump to realize he was the right person for 2016….but the wrong person for 2024. He should bow out gracefully and become the senior Republican statesman..
Trump should see the handwriting on the wall and bow out of any pursuit of any elected office.
The problem with the free speech crusade is that we are dealing with people who have abandoned the notion of objective truth. The left believes that they can create truth by making a narrative and then blame everyone who disagrees as dangerous spreaders of “disinformation” as they see it. Since there is no objective truth as they see it, nobody should listen to a word they say, because they only have words but no substance.
They even pervert science, for when they say “the science is settled” (vaccines are safe and effective; humans have evolved from lower life forms; the climate crisis can be solved by human efforts; etc.)—
They miss the point of science entirely! To dismiss all challenges to prevailing theories is anti-science. But what do they care? There is no “truth” anyway— not if you disagree with what they believe!
All objective truth comes from God. We have to start with Him. He determines what reality is. To the earnest, humble seeker, He reveals Himself, and His truth.
The issue isn’t Trump or DeSantis or whomever. The GOP needs to support 1000% the nominee whoever it may be, as the alternative is the DEM that will continue the tyranny of Clinton, Obama, Biden and the Globalists that wish to enslave the people not only here but worldwide in Socialism. As to the proposal here by Trump, it is solid, well thought and effective and should be implemented by any GOP elected President.
From his novel, Animal Farm, George Orwell: All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. A proclamation by the pigs who control the government.
President Trump popularized the term “Fake News”. His reforms also need to strip the corporate media of their more equal than other rights.The Federal Election Campaign Act was amended in 1974 to exempt corporate media from campaign laws, because their 1st Amendment rights could not be abridged.
Senator McConnell, in a letter to a constituent, had the following comment about the press exemption: “Section 431(9)(B)(i) makes a distinction where there is no real difference: the media is extremely powerful by any measure, a “special interest” by any definition, and heavily engaged in the “issue advocacy” and “independent expenditure” realms of political persuasion that most editorial boards find so objectionable when anyone other than a media outlet engages in it. To illustrate the absurdity of this special exemption the media enjoys, I frequently cite as an example the fact that if the RNC bought NBC from GE the FEC would regulate the evening news and, under the McCain-Feingold “reform” bill, Tom Brokaw could not mention a candidate 60 days before an election. This is patently absurd.” amendment10.tripod.com/mitch4.htm
– (Press exemption was moved to: 52 U.S. Code § 30101 – Definitions (9)(B)(i).)
52 U.S. Code § 30101 – Definitions (9)(B) The term “expenditure” does not include— (i) any news story, commentary, or editorial distributed through the facilities of any broadcasting station, newspaper, magazine, or other periodical publication, unless such facilities are owned or controlled by any political party, political committee, or candidate; –  law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/52/30101
This Press Exemption created a “Royal”, “State Approved” press! If candidates and political parties have to pay for time/space in the media, then why are favorable editorials or negative stories considered to have no value if they are published by corporate media, unless the media is controlled by a political party, political committee, or candidate?
The press exemption concentrates power over political narrative in the hands of corporate media, special interests themselves and dependent on the advertising dollars of other special interests.
The 1st right guaranteed is freedom of religion and corporations do not worship God. If Congress regulated freedom of religion like they regulate freedom of the press, Churches and synagogues, as institutions, would be free to follow the tenets of their religion, but not church goers.
As for freedom of speech and the press, media corporations do not have a brain, a voice Box or a body. A media business cannot interview a political candidate, form a political opinion or endorse a political candidate, only human beings, acting as employees of the media institutions are capable of exercising First Amendment Rights.
if newspapers were the definition of freedom of the press and radio and TV stations the definition of freedom of speech, they would not need an exemption from Federal Campaign laws. The GOP should fight to restore equal 1st Amendment rights to the electorate:
By letting the press exemption stand the Republican Party abridges the 1st Amendment rights of the electorate and denies equal protection of the 14th Amendment, ironically the same amendment that supposedly granted corporations 1st Amendment rights. It amounts to chastising the electorate for the crimes and potential crimes of politicians!
To restore equal rights to citizens, federal candidates, political parties and PACs “We the People” should ask our representatives in the Senate and House to revisit “S. 2416 — 113th Congress: Free All Speech Act of 2014.” govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/s2416
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2416
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 3, 2014
Mr. Cruz introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
A BILL
To apply laws that restrict the political speech of American citizens to media corporations.
1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Free All Speech Act of 2014.
2. Application of laws that restrict the political speech of American citizens to media corporations
(a) In general
Any law that restricts the political speech of American citizens shall apply with equal force to media corporations, such as the New York Times, the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), and the CBS Television Network.
(b) No application to American citizens if application to media corporations found unconstitutional
To the extent that the application of a law to a media corporation under subsection (a) is found unconstitutional, such law shall have no force or effect with respect to American citizens.
Trump’s fifth and final point, getting Congress to enact a “digital bill of rights” is the only one that stands a chance of doing anything lasting. Executive orders will be trashed on day one of an opposing administration, ala slow-joe-biden, who systematically trashed every one of Trumps EO’s. Requiring the justice department to do anything that goes against the left will be an exercise in futility! Reforming section 230 protections may also have some teeth, just don’t do it via EO’s. Time would have to tell. I applaud the effort, but the real reform we may need lies within the justice department itself! Until then, he may just be trying to shovel the beach into the ocean!
I have a better idea. Completely defund the federal agencies involved in any nefarious activities. For example, by the early 1900’s Federally funded Pinkertons went corrupt. Congress defunded them. Problem solved. Defund the FBI and DOJ. At the same time all employees forfeit their federal pensions. Then defund other bad actor agencies. Then defund the WHO, WEF, UN, etc. Those bad actor agencies will dry up, wither and die.
We need this man back in office where he rightfully belongs. Get rid of the non-elected people who are running this nation. Let those imprisoned on false accusations be set free…use their cells for those guilty be they judges, FBI personal, or side-line imposters.