Freedom of speech and the press

First Amendment:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Then came John Adams

The Sedition Act of 1798 sparked one such controversy that “crystallized a national awareness of the central meaning of the First Amendment.” The law punished anyone who would “write, print, utter or publish . . . any false, scandalous and malicious writing or writings against the government of the United States, or either house of the Congress of the United States, or the President of the United States, with intent to defame . . . or to bring them . . . into contempt or disrepute.” While Thomas Jefferson and Madison condemned the act as unconstitutional, the Adams Administration used it to prosecute its political opponents.

Although the Supreme Court never ruled the Sedition Act unconstitutional prior to its expiration in 1801, the Court later recognized “a broad consensus” from the political and judicial branches that the act was unconstitutional. Source: https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/amdt1-7-1/ALDE_00013537/

Now comes Donald Trump

President Trump has opened a new front in his campaign to intimidate political foes, threatening a prominent liberal think tank with a $5 billion defamation lawsuit over a report concluding that his deployment of the National Guard to cities across the country has had little effect on reducing violent crime.

The threats against the think tank, the Center for American Progress, were Mr. Trump’s latest effort to use the legal system to punish critics for voicing unflattering facts and opinions generally protected by the First Amendment. And while it is unclear how far any suit the president might ultimately file will get in court, it could force the organization to spend money fighting it off and make it even more of a target of his allies and supporters.

Source: NYTs by Alan Feuer 8-21-26

But there is some good news. Americans seem to see what is happening to our country and its people under this administration.

Here is the latest Trump approval trend, using the most recent national polling data. The newest Reuters/Ipsos poll has Trump at 33% approval and 64% disapproval, his lowest approval of the current presidency.