No, Trump Did Not ‘Bring Back Free Speech’

In President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, March 4, he bragged about restoring “free speech” to the United States. “I’ve stopped all government censorship and brought back free speech in America,” Trump said. “It’s back.”

But this claim couldn’t be further from the truth. Trump has consistently rewarded speech he likes while punishing speech he doesn’t. That kind of “viewpoint discrimination” is exactly what the First Amendment seeks to prevent. In fact, Trump’s actions run counter to the spirit—if not the text—of the First Amendment.