Freedom of the Press Foundation's statement on Donald Trump, enemy of press freedom, winning the US presidency

trevor

Executive Director

Donald J. Trump, now the official President elect, is an enemy of press freedom unlike any we have seen in modern presidential history.

In the past 18 months alone, he has threatened to sue newspapers or journalists over a dozen times and said he will attempt to “open up libel laws” as president to make it easier to take newspapers to court. He has attacked and insulted members of the media almost daily and blacklisted countless news outlets over the course of his campaign. He has blamed “freedom of the press” for a terrorist attack in New York and has said the press has “too much protection” under the First Amendment. And much more.

In short, before he even has taken office, he has waged war against the free speech protections guaranteed under the Constitution at a truly historic pace. 

Get Notified. Take Action.

We may be in for the biggest press freedom fight of our lives for the next 4 years. The fight may be hard, and it may be long, but we want you to know: Every threat, every lawsuit, every subpoena, every prosecution, we will be there holding Trump accountable and upholding the First Amendment—just like we did during the Obama administration.

But we are also going to need your help more than ever. Never has our nation faced such a grave threat to First Amendment rights and freedom of the press. If you care about the future of our country and an independent media, please donate today.

Donate to protect press freedom

Help us fight Trump's attacks on the press. Your support has never been more important. 

Read more about Press Freedom

Press freedom remains under threat in Indian Country

Panel of journalists and advocates discusses the film ‘Bad Press’ and the challenges facing Indigenous media

California officials must let journalists cover encampment sweeps

Threats to arrest journalists are the latest in a long line of egregious press freedom violations in the Golden State

One nation under RISAA: What the US election could mean for surveillance of journalists

No matter what happens this November, spying on members of the news media may be an ongoing problem