JAKARTA US President Donald Trump on Monday, January 20 signed an executive order that, according to him, aims to restore free speech and end the censorship. But the policy has come under fire from critics who highlighted Trump's past actions that often threaten and sue journalists, critics, and political opponents.

Trump and his Republican allies have long accused the administration of the former Democratic President, Joe Biden, of pushing for restraint of free speech on online platforms. The allegations are mainly related to Biden's efforts to counter false claims about vaccines and elections.

However, the US Supreme Court in June 2024 ruled that Biden's government contact with social media companies did not violate the protection of the US First Amendment regarding free speech.

Even so, Trump's executive order still drew widespread attention. The White House said in a statement, "Over the past four years, the previous government trampled on the right to free speech by censoring the opinion of the American people on online platforms, often by putting great pressure on third parties, such as social media companies, to moderate, remove, or suppress views that are not approved by the Federal Government."

Trump's Past Action Controversy

Ironically, Trump himself faced social media restrictions after the attack on the Capitol Building by supporters on January 6, 2021, following his 2020 defeat to Joe Biden.

In addition, for decades, Trump has also been known to often threaten and sue his critics for comments made about him. In 2022, he failed to sue Hillary Clinton, his political opponent in the 2016 presidential election, over accusations of links to Trump's campaign with Russia. The lawsuit was rejected by a judge who called it abuse of the courts.

Trump has also referred to journalists as "people's enemies" and sued five media companies, including CNN, ABC News, CBS News, publisher Simon & Schuster, and Des Moines Register. The lawsuit against CNN has been dropped, while ABC is finalizing the case, and other lawsuits are still ongoing.

Criticism From Experts

Professor David Kaye of the University of California, Irvine, who is also a former UN Special Reporter on the issue of free speech, sees the executive's order as a "very cynical" move and is only a public relationship strategy.

"You can't say on the one hand, 'The media is the enemy of the people,' while on the other hand it states, 'The policy of the United States is to guarantee the rights of the American people to free speech that is protected by the constitution.' Both things are not in line," said Kaye.

He also added that the federal government was actually prohibited from intervening in its citizens' First Amendment rights, so this executive order would not prevent prohibited behavior.

The move is seen as the beginning of Trump's pro-freedom speech policy, but has also raised concerns about the application of double standards and potential abuse of power for political purposes.

Amid the hope of major changes in national policy, this executive order became the initial symbol of Trump's vision of serving his second term as US President.


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