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Eight months into his second term, President Donald Trump has intensified efforts to pursue political opponents and critics, setting off a heated national debate over free speech, censorship, and political prosecutions.
From the suspension of comedian Jimmy Kimmel, to Pentagon restrictions on reporters, to public calls for Attorney General Pam Bondi to advance investigations into his adversaries, Trump has moved aggressively to consolidate power and punish dissent.
Public Push for Political Investigations
Over the weekend, Trump openly pressed Bondi to accelerate legal action against rivals, including New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey.
“We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility,” Trump wrote on social media. “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”
In a follow-up, Trump praised Bondi as “doing a GREAT job.”
Critics across party lines warned that the president’s comments risk transforming the Justice Department into a weapon against political enemies.
“It is unconstitutional and deeply immoral for the president to jail or silence his political enemies,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. “It will come back and boomerang on conservatives and Republicans at some point if this becomes the norm.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer accused Trump of steering the country toward authoritarianism: “This is the path to a dictatorship. That’s what dictatorships do.”
Even Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., often aligned with Trump, expressed unease: “It is not right for the Trump administration to do the same thing” after criticizing Democratic-led probes during Biden’s presidency.
Pentagon Tightens Media Access
At the same time, the Pentagon issued sweeping new restrictions on journalists, requiring them to sign a pledge not to publish any information — even if unclassified — without government authorization. Reporters who refuse risk losing their credentials.
The policy prompted fierce backlash from press freedom groups and Democrats in Congress, who called it a threat to transparency and accountability.
Asked Sunday if the Pentagon should control what journalists can report, Trump responded: “No, I don’t think so. Nothing stops reporters. You know that.”
Kimmel Suspension and FCC Warning
Perhaps the most visible flashpoint came last week when ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show after remarks about conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Trump hailed the move: “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done.”
Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump ally, warned that ABC and Disney could face consequences if they did not act against Kimmel. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said.
The suspension divided Republicans. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., said it was a business decision by ABC, while Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, blasted the move as “unbelievably dangerous,” warning that government involvement in deciding what speech is permissible poses a direct threat to the First Amendment.
Trump brushed aside Cruz’s concerns, calling Carr “a great American patriot.”
Loyalist Appointments and Power Consolidation
Trump has also moved quickly to install loyalists in key federal prosecutor positions. Over the weekend, he nominated Lindsey Halligan as U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia — a jurisdiction investigating James — following the forced resignation of her predecessor.
Taken together, the investigations, restrictions on media, and regulatory pressure on broadcasters mark an escalating strategy to reshape the boundaries of speech and accountability in Trump’s second administration.
