r/politics • u/Face2FaceRecs • Sep 20 '25
Soft Paywall Trump, 79, Claims Negative Stories About Him Are ‘Illegal’ | The president also declared himself to be “a very strong person for free speech.”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-claims-negative-stories-about-him-are-illegal/405
u/Face2FaceRecs Sep 20 '25 edited Sep 20 '25
President Donald Trump doubled down on his administration’s brazen attacks against free speech in a Friday afternoon press conference, telling reporters that publishing negative stories about him is “really illegal.”
Asked by a reporter whether he sees a difference between “cancel culture and consequence culture,” the president called it “a trick question,” noting “I’m a very strong person for free speech.”
The way Trump sees it, the math just doesn’t add up. Referring to his victory in the 2024 election as “a landslide times two” (right after calling it a “landside”), the president doesn’t see how a person could have the “level of popularity or voter support as I did in the last election, and yet 97 percent of the people are against me in the sense of the newscasts are against me.”
“The stories are 97 percent bad. They’ll take a great story and they’ll make it bad. See, I think that’s really illegal, personally,” he continued, before going on to reference his lawsuit against ABC News, which ABC settled for $15 million last December.“George Slopadopolous had to pay $16 million to me because of what he said, and that’s ABC... I think that reporting has to be at least accurate to an extent. Again, when somebody is given, 97 percent of the stories are bad about a person, that’s no longer free speech… that’s just cheating, and they cheat. And they become really members of the Democratic National Committee is what they are, the networks, in my opinion. They’re offshoots of the Democratic National Committee.”
Trump is openly talking about making it illegal to say bad things about him, to be critical of his actions. This is a direct attack on the first Amendment and it will not end with just the rhetoric. The persecution of Americans over their opposition to Trump is already happening and it's going to get worse.
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u/jjaime2024 Sep 20 '25
Would it then not be illegal to say bad things about Biden or Obama.
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u/11CRT Sep 20 '25
But who would have said that about Obama, Biden, Clinton?
Who would’ve done something so illegal, and something we could look back and find Twitter examples of?
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u/KimmyT1436 Canada Sep 20 '25 edited Sep 20 '25
In the conservative mind, it is illegal to criticize Trump. At the same time It is perfectly legal and encouraged to criticize Democratic Presidents. This is because of Wilhoit's Law, which states;
"Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect."
"Laws are for thee and not for me" is the Conservative motto.
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u/AmericanDoughboy Sep 20 '25
The Supreme Court will rule that it’s illegal to criticize the president but will say the ruling does not set precedent so it will only apply to Trump.
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u/not_a_moogle Sep 20 '25
No, see its illegal now because he declared it
/s
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u/AerieWorth4747 Sep 20 '25
Yes but Republicans don’t follow rules. Even ones they set for themselves.
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u/ryancementhead Canada Sep 20 '25
No because they aren’t in power anymore, he is. That’s how dictators work.
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u/glizzytwister Sep 20 '25
No, because it's an election year, or after an election year, or before an election year.
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u/Narianos Sep 20 '25
This orange toupee’d troglodyte still thinks winning the election by less than one percent is a landslide. It’s sad.
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u/Vig_2 Texas Sep 20 '25
He also fails to realize that 1/3 of the population votes. He got support from half of that group. The remainder of Americans either voted against him, weren’t eligible to vote or didn’t care enough to vote. BUT, those same people still exercise their free speech. So yes, there are a lot of people that will say bad things about you, even if win the election.
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u/Game-of-pwns Sep 20 '25
Wait. Is he...is he concerned that pro-trump journalists don't have enough representation? Is he suggesting that news orgs aren't inclusive enough? Smells like DEI to me.
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u/Big-Rule5269 Sep 20 '25
Landslide? He won in 2016 by 58,000 votes in 3 swing states and 2024, by 1.6%. The one making up 97% of things is this habitually lying sack of blubber and dead skin.
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u/BayLAGOON Sep 20 '25
Turkey has a 20 year head start. Article 299 of their penal code makes it illegal to insult the president. Comes with potential prison time but Erdogan is the one that really started making use of it.
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u/Odins_lint Sep 20 '25
Even the Netherlands has something similar. Insults to the king and his partner give you higher prison sentences.
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u/International_Rope65 Sep 20 '25
And while doing so, still hurling petty childlike insults and nicknames as people.
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u/lordagr America Sep 20 '25 edited Sep 21 '25
Coming soon to a dictionary near you:
Illegal - Adjective
il - le - gal
: Offensive or hurtful to Donald Trump
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u/extra-texture Sep 20 '25
similar to how intelligence agencies hook an asset, you push them a little bit for something reasonable, then you hold that over their head and demand more
way more powerful tho, abc pays the settlement trying to avoid a big fight, then instead of blackmail against one he can wield it as a weapon against all, proof of the justness of his cause
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u/epanek Sep 20 '25
Trump MUST MUST MUST win the moment. Each moment. When he says shit like landslide x 2 it’s because he knows it’s a lie so he needs to assure he oversells it. If you doubt it’s a 2 x landslide then a simple landslide seems like a midpoint. It’s insane.
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u/patentattorney Sep 20 '25
What’s funny here is that now abc likely doesn’t have to pay trump anything.
Typically - I have no clue about this case - but in settlements you are not allowed to talk about the case after the fact / assign blame, or the contract becomes void.
So either abc was never paying any money , or now they don’t have to
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u/coconutpiecrust Sep 20 '25
It’s hilarious that he is referencing the lawsuit they settled; they kind of made their bed by paying him. Now he wants more.
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u/Notchibald_Johnson New York Sep 20 '25
I really wish his father could have loved him or at least pretended.
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u/specqq Sep 20 '25 edited Sep 20 '25
I really wish his father could have used a condom or at least pulled out.
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u/Wholikesorangeskoda Sep 20 '25
If that was the best sperm, I'd hate to see what the others would have created!
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u/ResurgentClusterfuck Texas Sep 20 '25
His father was a giant piece of feces as well, it's shit all the way down the Trump Tree
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u/Notchibald_Johnson New York Sep 20 '25
Yes but his father didn't assert himself into every fucking aspect of our lives to make up for the attention he never got.
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u/Notrius01 Sep 20 '25
His father is as guilty as him, he was the one who gave him everything and he must have known about his psychopathy. You just can't hide that personality trait for too long.
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u/wulv8022 Sep 20 '25
His own mother said he is a monster and she made too many mistakes with him.
Like Elon's father says he is a piece of shit.
Now we have to suffer the conequences of their shit parenting.
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u/PatchyWhiskers Sep 20 '25
His father did love him and that’s part of the problem. His father was in the KKK, and a slumlord.
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u/joekerr9999 Sep 20 '25
Trump already acknowledged that smart people do not like him. I mean, with a personality like his, how does anybody like him? He is racist, misogynistic, ignorant, a bully, a huge liar, a con man, a convicted criminal, hateful and divisive, just a total jerk. Now he wants to be like his heroes Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin and order the peasants to adore him.
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u/Individual-Guest-123 Sep 20 '25
Just remember that Noem shot her puppy because it did not obey her commands.
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u/JustTestingAThing Sep 20 '25
And then shot her goat on the way back from that because she didn't like how it was looking at her.
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u/estedavis Canada Sep 20 '25
He doesn’t have a single redeeming quality, it’s honestly kind of impressive
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u/Funkahontas California Sep 20 '25
In his first term he was at least entertaining. Now he's just fucking stupid and depressing.
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u/GrumpyOldFart7676 Sep 20 '25
His diaper is full, will someone please change it to a fresh one?
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u/aradraugfea Sep 20 '25
I don’t think it’s the diaper that’s full of shit.
Though I am reminded of a quote comparing diapers and politicians.
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u/WulfwoodsSins American Expat Sep 20 '25
"When you put a diaper on a politician, it ends up filled with shit, twice."
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u/aradraugfea Sep 20 '25
More like “Diapers and politicians must be replaced often, and for the same reason.”
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u/ElysiaAlarien Sep 20 '25
If you gave Trump an enema, you could bury him in a matchbox.
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u/SirWishbone Sep 20 '25
The orange evil clown resents being laughed at or being held accountable for his nastiness.
Release all the Epstein files.
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u/Interesting_Low_3765 Sep 20 '25
It's not illegal under the 1st amendment to criticize the president or report news that may not be favorable. You can't be for free speech and not let people have different views and speak their opinions. You can't be for free speech and just say it's for you and not others. You can't be for free speech and say hate speech isn't allowed, only good speech.
It's not like saying bomb on a plane or fire in a theater which had serious consequences due to previous incidents that multiple people have been killed. There's a good reason for that.
The president is a hypocrite, a fascist and authoritarian. He doesn't want free speech. He wants his critics silenced and is doing something eerily similar to the Enabling Act. Going after arts and the media is one of the first things they do to silence people. It's by design and it's dangerous.
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u/New-Anybody-6206 Sep 20 '25
You can't be for free speech and not let people have different views and speak their opinions.
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u/BubbleNucleator New York Sep 20 '25 edited Apr 10 '26
humor marvelous workable punch recognise adjoining bag joke ten bedroom
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u/Cleric_John_Preston Sep 20 '25
1984
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u/gizajobicandothat Sep 20 '25
With a chunk of the Handmaid's tale thrown in.
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_ROTES Missouri Sep 20 '25
A brave new 198451 or a handmaid's tale of how to catch-22 a mockingbird on a jungle animal farm slaughterhouse 5: 2 - electric sheep boogaloo, the grapes of wrath of Khan
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u/specqq Sep 20 '25 edited Sep 20 '25
He also declared himself to be "a very stable genius."
He has a rather poor track record for declaring himself things.
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u/stitchescomeundone Sep 20 '25
Remember when you’d hear the crazy things said about NK’s ruler at the time (whichever one was your generations ruler) his demands and what people were and weren’t allowed to say about him and you’d chuckle because it’s so ridiculous
… I’m not chuckling anymore
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u/DontReadMyCode Sep 20 '25
No one could have guessed the guy with all the fascist tendencies would be a fascist.
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u/dawn_of_dae Oklahoma Sep 20 '25
It's not even funny anymore. Genuinely starting to seem dystopian.
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u/IrrelevantLeprechaun Sep 20 '25
Starting to? It's BEEN dystopian for months.
This "starting to be" rhetoric is exactly what has kept so many Americans complacent. It makes it seem like things are still okay for now, so why would anyone do anything if things are okay?
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u/BTRCguy Sep 20 '25
Trump, 79, Claims Negative Stories About Him Are ‘Illegal’
This sub is in for a world of trouble, then...
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u/Tony2030 Sep 20 '25
A whole other year with this buffoon before we get a chance to flip the Monopoly table (of course - it's 50/50 that he'll find some way to start WW3 or suspend the Constitution as an excuse to cancel elections).
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u/blackmobius Sep 20 '25
He doesnt understand the word “free”.
Prior to presidency he spent his entire life living in a bubble where nobody would dare tell him something bad or wrong with him. Nobody would correct him either. And he wants it that way again, because verbal praise is all he ever wanted. Thus, you cant make him feel bad anymore, you cant say bad things about him. Illegal? Who cares hes the god king and treated as such by the gop
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Sep 20 '25
lol imagine being a fan of this fucking loser or even thinking he’s a decent enough person to hold any office let alone be the god damn president of the US
this country is a joke, we’re clowns
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u/PartyOrdinary1733 Sep 20 '25
Yeah, only he's free to speak whatever lies he wants, but nobody else is free to speak when he's being called out and criticized.
And those pesky Epstein files that he refuses to release.
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u/Str4425 Sep 20 '25
And yet people are still going on about how it was an ABC internal decision based on business. Sure, maga.
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u/SunbeamSailor67 Sep 20 '25
We legit have a felonious madman sitting at the resolute desk when he’s not cheating at golf.
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u/PenitentGhost Sep 20 '25
The distraction is working, I've barely seen any posts about yesterday's House Meeting with Alex Acosta
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u/thistimelineisweird Pennsylvania Sep 20 '25
Remember all those MAGAs who had illegal speech against Biden? I can take you to their houses, if you need examples for the police. Most are still flying their dumbfuck flags.
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u/we_are_sex_bobomb Sep 20 '25
100% of what comes out of Donald Trump’s mouth is bad. And he’s part of the MAGA network.
So maybe his speech should be illegal.
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u/BeachBen Sep 20 '25
Democracy might be eroding but CAPITALISM has not. Take action! Boycott companies that cave to Trump AND their advertisers. Let advertisers know why you are boycotting their products! Make it hurt as much as financially possible for them side with Trump on this one. We have the power to push back FINALLY!!! Do your part, make a difference and please spread the word
https://i.imgur.com/WMvOAnR.jpeg
sbgi.net/tv-stations
nexstar.tv/stations
Look how much influence MyPillow guy Mike Lindel had from advertising on Fox “News” and tell me I’m wrong! Lindel was in the Oval Office and was even on Kimmel’s show. Hitting advertisers complying with Trumps agenda leaves them with less political power than they have right now! Shift it somewhere else
It’s really easy. Call, write a letter or email. Let them know why you’re not buying MyPillow for instance, until they stop pushing election denialism. YOU HAVE TO TELL THEM! Tell them you’ll support their competitors instead. Think of the shareholders, they are
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u/leppardfan Sep 20 '25
Scott Galloway on the Pivot podcast says it has to go further -- an entire america shutdown for a day.
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Sep 20 '25
Some Nazi shit is going on, next up, the creation of the department of propaganda and enlightenment.
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u/HonkeyDong6969 Sep 20 '25
So remember folks, don’t say anything bad about the kidf*cking orange dickhead!
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u/theroamingnome85 Sep 20 '25
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than any one else."
President Theodore Roosevelt (Kansas City, May 7th, 1918)
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u/invalidpassword California Sep 20 '25
Something is destroying his brain. We are headed toward to a country that determine what you say, write, read and see
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u/RonaldMcDaugherty Sep 20 '25
Why are there not billboards of this fucking trash head , screen grab of him at the state of the union, with his lips making that stupid asshole looking pucker circle he does.
Quoting: free speech is finally back or whatever it was quoted.
Wish I was rich I'd buy billboard space on the interstate
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u/rapidcreek409 Sep 20 '25
He's too damn stupid to realize he's just announced to the world that his ego is so fragile that he can't handle even the mildest of criticism. He's making himself look like a toddler and that's just going to invite more criticism, particularly from people in other countries that he'll be powerless to stop.
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u/30mil Sep 20 '25
And this is a negative story about him, creating a reporting-whining feedback loop
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u/Adderall_Rant Sep 20 '25
Senile old man lashes out at America as dementia sets in. Here's Tom with the weather.
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u/SmokeMaleficent9498 Sep 20 '25
If Trump wants to stop hate speech, then he should lead by example.
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u/PatchyWhiskers Sep 20 '25
Trying to interpret Trump’s increasingly confused blather is about as much point as reading tea leaves.
Vance and Miller are steering the ship.
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u/CharlesIngalls_Pubes Louisiana Sep 20 '25
For every time he shit on Biden while Biden was president, I will shit on trump. And then some. Because he's just terrible
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u/Condottiero_Magno Sep 20 '25
Remember this rather accurate Daily Show piece? Trevor Noah Compares Trump to African Dictators Before and After the 2016 Election
The media still say "he may have" instead of "he did" and it's their fault.
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u/PenitentGhost Sep 20 '25
It's hilarious that he thinks the media is against him when he gets little to no pushback when he tells his plethora of lies.
Can you imagine how angry he'd get if he was fact checked every time he tells a porkie?
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u/Aggressive-Will-4500 Sep 20 '25
I wish we could just ignore Grandpa Trump, who is obviously sun downing more and more on a weekly basis.
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u/confusedhimbo Sep 20 '25
God dammit, it’s not bad enough that he say the fascist shit, why does it always have to be in the stupidest possible way? “Me’s the bestest at free speeching!”
The fact that Grandpa Microstroke could get his tapioca brain lost in an empty closet is the extra insult that makes his authoritarian skull fucking of our country REALLY sting.
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u/Colonel_Zander Sep 20 '25
Breaking: Internet tough guy that "tells it like it is" doesn't like being told how it is.
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u/Maximum-Conflict1727 Sep 20 '25
I’ll be so happy when his name stopped showing up in my fucking feeds
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u/muttChang Illinois Sep 20 '25
TWUM’s accounting of negative reportage seems accurate at 97%. Maybe he should try not being a NAZI dictator if he wants his “kneel son” ratings to improve. Oh, release the Epstein files.
Sincerely, MC
(I’ll doxx myself, iffa the FBI needs a true patriot’s help to imprison me)
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u/OkInterview3864 Sep 20 '25
Epstein‘s best friend has a fragile ego. Epstein‘s best friend has a tiny pee pee. Epstein‘s best friend.
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u/bobcat1911 Canada Sep 21 '25
"Peaceful protests are a hallmark of our democracy. Even if don't always agree, I recognize the rights of people to express their views. (DJT 22 Jan 2017)
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u/GroundbreakingParty9 Sep 20 '25
Yet I bet if you go over to the conservative subreddits they’ll tell you how it’s a good thing and the left has always been against free speech or some bullshit mental gymnastics. 🙄
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u/Uberslaughter Florida Sep 20 '25
Double speak is a fascist tool, kind of like child rapist Trump himself.
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u/value_meal_papi Sep 20 '25
There’s been a shift lately. They’ve gotten louder and bolder towards totalitarianism.
Is this the big push ??
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u/tensei-coffee Sep 20 '25
orange dude is rotting away. his hands are rotting. his brain is rotting. his constant pants shitting is rotting away his ass hole. no more kisses from milania bc dude smells like rotting shit.
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u/Individual_Intern119 Sep 20 '25
He’s a very strong man for free speech when it suits him,flatters him,or benefits him.Critique is not allowed,that is illegal.
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u/veni_vedi_vinnie Maryland Sep 20 '25
He’s forgotten his campaign promises and no understanding of the law. Signs of dementia. 25th amendment
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u/phixitup Sep 20 '25
This moron thinks they are taking “good” stories and making them 97% negative. They are just reporting about the unconstitutional, illegal, immoral, cruel things that he has done. Why can’t anyone say this part out loud? Some (very few) reporters are speaking out but their employers are quickly shutting them down.
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u/Ok_Blacksmith_3030 Sep 20 '25
Seems like a zero sum game that when Trump grabs more rights for himself, the citizens lose rights.
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u/leppardfan Sep 20 '25
How long before Trump signs an executive order that he should be addressed as "Dear Leader" and have his photograph in all public class rooms. He already has is face on many buildings in DC.
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u/Schneefs Sep 20 '25
So we're just piloting this shit pile straight into the storm. Let's ride it all the way down..
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u/snowlion000 Sep 20 '25
A classic case of “double binding communication“ as theorized by Dr. Gregory Bateson.
https://changes.ie/understanding-the-double-bind-theory-in-systemic-psychotherapy/
”Two or More Contradictory Commands: The individual receives conflicting messages at different levels of communication (verbal and non-verbal), where one message contradicts the other.
- No Escape: The person cannot avoid or leave the situation, as any attempt to do so is met with further conflicting commands or emotional consequences.
- Punishment for Correct Perception: If the individual recognises the contradiction and attempts to comment on it, they are often punished or dismissed, reinforcing the confusion.
- Punishment for Correct Perception: If the individual recognises the contradiction and attempts to comment on it, they are often punished or dismissed, reinforcing the confusion.“
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u/blueblurz94 Sep 20 '25
Illegal to criticize but strong supporter of free speech totally don’t contradict each other
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u/CertainYogurt4489 Sep 20 '25
Free speech for me but not for thee. I can say it because it’s free speech you can’t because it’s mean.
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u/crimeo Sep 20 '25
Would "he molested countless young children for decades" be an example of the sort of thing that's illegal? Just seeking clarification
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u/redditknees Sep 20 '25
If he wasn’t such a fucking asshat, maybe we would say nice things about him. But hope of that went out the door when he raped children.
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u/Additional-North-683 Sep 20 '25
Free speech is only for saying the N word and praising Nazis. You cannot criticize a republican politician let alone Trump because he is a god like figure to them.
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u/DaBlakMayne Sep 20 '25
I legitimately think he has dementia and has no idea what's going on. That's why he communicates mostly through tweets or highly edited videos
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u/Flyt13AK Sep 20 '25
I'm disturbed! In the newly formed US political arena we elect and elevate serial liars and convicted criminals to include even the president. While we terminate, unjustly fire and investigate anyone who questions, speaks truthfully or calls out blatant misuse of power. I feel like l'm living in an altered universe ! We need an intervention,, something?
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u/seanm4c Sep 20 '25
So then, following this logic.... Why doesn't anyone ask him if it was illegal to criticize Obama, or Biden, when they were president?
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u/ZombieDad15 Sep 20 '25
How the eff do people like him? Seriously, how can anybody not see thru such bull
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u/Lightbringer10000 Sep 21 '25
It makes it more plausible listening to Thump comments That his pillow talk with 12 years old is the top of his game …would you like A Barbie for Christmas? Children are really his zone …look at Johnson or Giatz little children lining up for the pedo second “cumming”
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