In this day and age of creeping authoritarianism, the rights Americans have enjoyed for almost 250 years have been diminishing. Most particularly are our First Amendment rights. As the current administration tightens its grip on the reins of power, those who oppose it are losing the very freedoms upon which this country was founded.
Speaking out against this administration has become a punishable offense. The press is being bullied into submission through an overly compliant court system and a media that has come under the control of the MAGA cult. Peaceful assembly is forcibly prohibited by jackbooted thugs under the guise of law enforcement. Religious freedom is disappearing as government officials demand our educational system reflects “Christian values”.
Our First Amendment rights are vanishing right before our eyes.
‘We took the freedom of speech away, because that’s been through the courts, and the courts said you have freedom of speech but what has happened is when they burn the flag it agitates and irritates crowds,’
Donald J. Trump
October 9, 2025
There you have it in his own words. While it refers specifically to his Executive Order banning flag burning, it can and will be used to limit what can be said in criticizing this administration. It was successfully put to the test following the murder of right-wing provocateur Charlie Kirk. Employees, particularly those in Education, had their social media accounts scoured. Those who spoke negatively about Kirk were suspended or outright fired from their positions. A mere like on a meme that was viewed as being critical of Kirk was grounds for dismissal.
When late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel made a comment that was seen as less than glowing, he was suspended. It was only through public outcry, in the form of subscription cancellations, that he was allowed to return to the airwaves, albeit with a chastened demeanor.
Their message was clear.
On more than one occasion, Trump has stated that criticizing him was “PROBABLY ILLEGAL”. Like he did during his first term, he continued to label those who even used his own words as “enemies of the people”.
Of course, the people he refers to are those who support him.
Fair and balanced was once the slogan of Fox News. When billionaire Rupert Murdoch purchased Fox in 1985, he initially left the news department alone. In 1996 he launched the Fox News channel and began to see himself as a kingmaker. So, when Donald Trump and his pro-business attitude expressed an interest in running for office, Murdoch put on a full court press into getting him elected.
With his media empire, that includes the NY Post and Wall Street Journal, Murdoch ensured a steady stream of positive press for Trump while digging up salacious information on his opponents.
Other media outlets are likewise controlled by billionaires. Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post, while AI company Oracle co-founder’s son David Ellison is the CEO of CBS. Both have softened their news outlet’s criticism of Trump and his policies.
One of Ellison’s first acts was to order the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s late night talk show following the host’s describing the payout of $40 million to Trump interests a bribe meant to smooth over a proposed merger.
Even the once venerable CNN was reportedly told to tone down its criticism of Trump regarding the destruction of the East Wing of the White House. While CNN denies this, it came immediately following CNN CEO Mark Thompson’s visit to the White House. We may never know if this is true, but there has been very little mention of it since then.
Another possible indication that the press is being stifled is their response, or lack thereof, to being called “Fake News”. During his first term Trump would refuse to answer tough questions, but the media would continue to pressure him. Now it seems when he chastises them, they back down. It’s almost as if they are being told, ask the tough questions, but don’t push it.
So, with billionaires controlling the messaging, Freedom of the Press seems to be vanishing as well. Fair and balanced?
Freedom of Assembly to Peacefully protest is something that was once taken for granted. During Trump’s first administration, Black Lives Matter protestors allegedly forced Trump to take refuge in the underground bunker beneath the East Wing of the White House as groups gathered outside the White House gates. With the East Wing obliterated, it’s unsure if there is even a bunker that Trump can retreat to now.
Trump is hoping to prevent a repeat of this by sending National Guard troops, and even members of the military, into Democratic-run cities. He is perpetrating the ruse that they are there to prevent what he calls lawless mobs and to conduct anti-immigrant raids on Sanctuary Cities.
It’s nothing more than an effort at intimidation. Plain and simple.
Trump and his MAGA cronies attempted to portray the recent nationwide “No Kings” rallies as “Hate America” protests. JD Vance even tried to dissuade people from assembling in California by shutting down a major throughfare because rockets were being fired overhead.
Other protests are planned, but with the possibility of military intervention, as Trump threatens to invoke the Insurrection Act, it’s becoming more and more likely that Freedom of Assembly will cease to be a right.
The false claim that America is a Christian nation has been something that has been the rallying cry of xenophobic zealots for decades. It was a major point of contention during the Obama administration as his opponents erroneously declared that he was a Muslim, bent on destroying Christianity and enacting Sharia law. While this has been repeatedly debunked, it hasn’t stopped the fear that some say they have over electing a non-Christian president.
With White Christian Nationalists representing a large portion of the MAGA cult, there is now a concerted effort to force everyone to accept their version of Christianity. This includes xenophobia, homophobia and the adoption of Christian values in our schools. Some states are demanding that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every classroom while others are requiring Bible studies and Christian-based curricula to be incorporated into every lesson.
This is an ongoing effort to coerce non-Christians into submission. It was most recently employed during the NYC Mayoral elections. While his opponents openly attacked Zohran Mamdani’s political views as a Democratic Socialist, they also attempted to somehow connect him to the 9/11 attacks based upon his common affiliation with the religion of the attackers. Critics, including JD Vance, tried pushing this premise despite Mamdani’s being a mere 10 years old at the time of the attacks.
This and other anti-Muslim assaults threaten the Freedom of Religion clause of the First Amendment.
If we want to keep our freedoms as guaranteed under the First Amendment, we must continue to push back on the current administration’s efforts to curtail them. The recent elections have shown that our efforts are succeeding, but there can be no holding back. If these rights disappear, there is the real possibility of a Domino Effect as other rights are slowly taken away.
Chris Waldron is a former public school educator in New York State and adjunct English professor in Conway, SC. He is co-author of Hijacked Nation, Donald Trump’s attack on America’s Greatness, published in three volumes and available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. He is a regular contributor to Lean to the Left and all of his articles are archived here.
