Donald Trump Supporters Don't Understand Free Speech

Donald Trump Supporters Don't Understand Free Speech

April 18, 2025

U.S. EMPIRE - FOLLOW THE MONEY

Caitlin Johnstone

The Trump administration continues to arrest and deport people for criticizing Israel’s genocidal atrocities in Gaza and the U.S. empire’s support for it... and Trump’s supporters continue to applaud these abuses. To call this hypocritical after the way these people spent years rending their garments about the erosion of the First Amendment would be a massive understatement.

The hypocrisy of Trumpists cheerleading the president’s assaults on free speech makes it clear that they have no idea why free speech ever came to be valued in our society in the first place. They think freedom of speech is so esteemed because it feels nice to be able to say whatever you want, and it upsets their feelings when people tell them they shouldn’t say “retard” or make unkind remarks about trans people, which people are allowed to do under the Trump administration.

They seriously think it’s all about them and their feelings. They’ve never put any more thought or research into it than that.

And from this point of view it makes perfect sense for them to say “It’s fine to deport that person for criticizing Israel, because they’re not a citizen. They don’t have free speech rights.” They think free speech is just a pleasant perk that lets U.S. citizens enjoy the nice feelings of being able to say whatever they want; the people having their green cards and student visas revoked for inconvenient speech don’t have citizenship, so they don’t get to feel the nice feelings.

Reading by Tim Foley

Article with supporting links: https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/04/19/trump-supporters-dont-understand-free-speech/

Original: https://youtu.be/O66p-Bf0Dp0

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I write about the end of illusions. 100% reader-funded writer. All works co-authored with my American husband Tim Foley.

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