Free speech, for years now, has been considered an important issue that people will fight for; however, with the rise of fascism and the re-election of Donald Trump, free speech is under attack.
The Republican Party has been “fighting” for free speech, but in actuality they only put that message out there while being firmly against journalism and protests or anything that would cause real change. It creates the standard of “our free speech and their free speech” which creates a slippery slope about what is or isn’t acceptable to say. Trump’s attempt to shut down any sort of media directly goes against the first amendment and the core ideal of journalism.
The deportation that is also threatening for protesting by Trump is in violation of the First Amendment, but it is also a loosely veiled attempt by the administration to remove foreign students from the country. This is backed up by the constant Immigrant and Customs Reinforcements (ICE) raids happening throughout the country. The administration clearly shows a lack of consistency with its values; these attacks on freedom of speech are nothing surprising given the fascist history of the administration and the Republican Party as a whole.
The blatant xenophobia and lack of care for the First Amendment seen from the Trump administration is disturbing, and despite that, they clearly do not care whatsoever about the legality or consequences of their actions. The Republican Party got their wish for power in all three branches; now, they can go back on their statements echoed both on the campaign trails and the past several years because they achieved their goal. Nothing can stop them until the next round of elections happens.

The rise of fascism in the country also plays a part in this, as the political tides do not seem to be turning anytime soon. The worst part of the state of free speech is that the Democratic Party is refusing to do anything about it. Most people in the party are not even attempting to address this problem, making them equally guilty as the Republican Party for putting a “fight” this pathetic.

Free speech in this country is one of the most important freedoms we have and it is disgraceful that it is just being taken away. People should be allowed to protest and be journalists, but this administration is shameful for refusing to let people exercise these rights now. Serious change needs to happen, but the administration wants to stop that at all costs.