On Thursday, former president Donald Trump unveiled a proposal that, in his words, would “shatter the left-wing censorship machine” and restore the First Amendment’s protection of everyone’s right to free speech. Trump promised to sign an executive order after being elected that would prohibit the federal government from “colluding” with organizations that restrict free speech and prohibit the use of federal taxpayer funds for government-led initiatives to label speech as misinformation or disinformation in his first policy-related announcement of his 2024 presidential campaign.
He pledged to oust government workers who have attempted to control “lawful speech” and to stop federal money from going to colleges that unjustly restrict expression. “If there isn’t free expression, our nation isn’t truly free. The 76-year-old added in the video statement, “It is that easy. “The rest of our rights and liberties will collapse like dominoes if this most fundamental right is permitted to be lost. They will fall one by one.
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He also reaffirmed his support for reducing Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act’s immunity provisions for Big Tech platforms.
The left-wing slant of the social media behemoth that resulted in the suppression of conservative viewpoints, the erasure of the Hunter Biden laptop computer story just weeks before the 2020 presidential election, and the haphazard decision to permanently ban then-President Trump following the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, was revealed earlier this month by new Twitter owner Elon Musk.
The extent to which the platform collaborated with the Biden campaign and government organizations to control speech has also been made clear by the Twitter Files. This collaboration included regular meetings between platform executives and representatives from the FBI, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and Department of Homeland Security.
A month after Mr. Trump declared his intention to seek the Republican presidential nomination, the files were released.
Republican strategist and former Trump White House employee Andy Surabian praised the declaration.
The free speech policy proposal that President Trump announced was a “grand slam,” according to Mr. Surabian. The conservative base wants him to present a clear policy plan that reflects his outlook on the future and addresses the problems that are most important to the base.
He said, “I think he’ll be in a strong position to prove his naysayers wrong once again. If this is any indication of what his presidential campaign will look like once things truly get underway.
Even if surveys suggest he is still the undisputed front-runner in a race that is anticipated to heat up early next year, Mr. Trump has more skeptics this time around.
On Thursday, Mr. Trump made a double-barreled announcement. Before releasing the video describing his strategy for defending free speech, he opened with the information that he is beginning to offer digital trading cards with superhero themes for $99 in price.
Mr. Trump claimed that “bombshell reports” in recent weeks “have confirmed that a dark collection of deep state bureaucrats, Silicon Valley tyrants, left-wing activities, and filthy corporate news media have been colluding to manipulate and silence the American people.”
Mr. Trump claimed that “they have worked together to hide important information on everything from elections to public health.” “The censorship cartel needs to be broken up and destroyed, and it needs to happen now.”
The Biden administration, the president’s campaign, Silicon Valley tech firms, and House Republicans were encouraged by Mr. Trump to order the preservation of communications and documents that contain “proof of suppression.”
Rep. Jim Jordan, a supporter of President Trump and the incoming chair of the House Judiciary Committee, sent a similar demand to major tech firms on Wednesday, requesting that they turn over correspondence between their staff members and the Biden administration going back to the beginning of his term.
The committee was looking into the Biden administration’s attempts to “censor, stifle, or minimize the accessibility of particular information and opinions,” according to Mr. Jordan.
