Freedom of the Press Foundation's statement on Donald Trump, enemy of press freedom, winning the US presidency
Trevor Timm
November 9, 2016
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.
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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.