Tag: Trump’s War on Free Speech

Kimmel Has the Last Word

Buck Banks

“Even though we are still being preempted in 60 American cities, on Tuesday, we had our second-highest rated show in almost 23 years on the air. Our monologue from Tuesday night has more than 21 million views just on YouTube alone. And I want to say, we couldn’t have done it without you, Mr. President. Thank you very much. We got the Trump bump, and we appreciate it.”

— Jimmy Kimmel, on his show Friday night.

Letterman Speaks Out About Corporate Oppression of Speech

Buck Banks

“This is misery. We see where this is all going, correct? It’s managed media. And it’s no good. It’s silly. It’s ridiculous. And you can’t go around firing somebody because you’re fearful or trying to suck up to an authoritarian criminal administration in the Oval Office. That’s just not how this works.”

— David Letterman, quoted by Variety.

Trump Using Kirk’s Death to Stifle Opposition

Buck Banks

“President Trump has begun a major escalation in his long-running efforts to stifle political opposition in the United States, using the assassination of the right-wing activist Charlie Kirk to make the baseless argument that Democratic organizations and protesters are part of a violent conspiracy against conservative values and the American way of life.”

— New York Times

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Murphy: We’re Not a Democracy Anymore

Buck Banks

“When the media decides to start hedging, or not telling the full story, combined with people being reluctant to engage in political opposition because they fear they will land in jail, that’s just not a democracy any longer. And it’s not like we’re six months away from that. It feels like we might be a month away from a world in which people start to retreat from politics for fear of criminal prosecution, and the media just uses kid gloves in dealing with the regime. I don’t think this is hypothetical two years from now; we may be living in a very restricted democratic space in January.”

— Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), speaking to Greg Sargent on The Daily Blast.

Trump Cannot Silence Brennan

Buck Banks

“This action is part of a broader effort by Mr. Trump to suppress freedom of speech and punish critics. It should gravely worry all Americans, including intelligence professionals, about the cost of speaking out. My principles are worth far more than clearances. I will not relent.”

— Former CIA Director John Brennan, responding on Twitter to President Trump revoking his security clearance.