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Donald Trump has been slammed after appearing to brag about taking away his opponents’ “freedom of speech”.
During an administration roundtable composed of Trump’s top officials and right-wing media personalities, the topic of discussion was Antifa – an antifascist political movement that the Trump administration is attempting to vilify.
In the meeting (which Trump struggled to stay awake in), the president said he would consider designating the movement similarly to a foreign terrorist organisation.
Trump also bragged about having taken “freedom of speech” away and claimed that burning an American flag is the same as inciting a riot.
“We’ve made it a one year penalty for inciting riots,” Trump said. “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 that when they burn a flag it agitates and irritates crowds … and you end up with riots.”
His comment sparked a huge reaction online with many left very concerned.
“I realize Trump says a torrent of insane stuff constantly, but ‘we took the freedom of speech away’ is an especially insane thing to say,” someone wrote.
Another mocked: “MAGA: Vote Trump to protect free speech!
“9 months later:
“Trump: I took freedom of speech away!”
Someone else said: “There you have it folks. Not even trying to hide it.”
One person argued: “Trump says he ‘took the freedom of speech away’ because burning a flag ‘irritates crowds.’
“This tyrant needs to be removed from office, immediately.”
Another pointed out: “Trump, January 20, 2025: Free speech is back, baby!
“Trump, October 8, 2025: We're taking Freedom of Speech away.”
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