First Amendment

Trump's 'Free Speech Agenda: Siccing the FBI on Critics, Barring Reporters, and Threatening Broadcasters

GOP's new mantra: "Free speech for me, but not for thee."

Steven Greenhut | 10.9.2026 7:30 AM

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During his family trip to England last year, Vice President J.D. Vance lectured the European Union on its approach to free speech. Lacking the equivalent of the United States' First Amendment, European nations—and Great Britain in particular—have admittedly embraced speech policies that most Americans should find creepy.

"Democracy rests on the sacred principle that the voice of the people matters. There's no room for firewalls. You either uphold the principle or you don't," Vance said, as he blasted German political parties for refusing to work with the far-right AfD party. He also criticized British police for arresting anti-abortion protesters and for their nasty habit of monitoring internet speech.

It's hard to take issue with Vance's point about Europe, although it's always easiest to remove the speck from someone else's eye than it is to remove the plank from one's own. As Guardian columnist Arwa Mahdawi noted shortly after Vance's tirade, the vice president may be a "raging hypocrite"—but he deserved grudging credit given that more than 30 Brits a day are arrested for online speech. That number keeps growing.

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