Trump Claims He ‘Brought Back Free Speech’ Hours After Promising Crackdown on ‘Illegal Protests’
President Donald Trump declared that free speech is “back” during an address to Congress on Tuesday, just hours after pledging to crack down on what he called “illegal protests.”
On Tuesday morning, Trump lashed out at schools that allow such demonstrations on campus. Last year, Trump and Republicans criticized administrators at several universities where protestors were demonstrating against Israel’s war in Gaza after the Oct. 7 terror attacks in 2023. Congressional Republicans hauled in a handful of university presidents to testify before furious members.
The president said he will halt federal funding to institutions that allow such protests. In doing so, he implied that demonstrators are not actually from the U.S.
“All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests,” he posted on Truth Social. “Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on on the crime, arrested. NO MASKS! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
Trump did not elaborate as to what constitute “illegal protests.”
During his speech to a joint session on Congress, the president boasted of bringing free speech “back.”
“I’ve stopped all government censorship and brought back free speech in America,” Trump declared while not identifying the “government censorship” he had supposedly done away with.
The line received a standing ovation from the Republicans in attendance.
“And two days ago, I signed an order making English the official language of the United States of America,” he boasted. “I renamed the Gulf of Mexico the ‘Gulf of America.’ And likewise, I renamed for a great president, William McKinley. Mount McKinley again.”
Watch above via CNN.
