President Trump and Viewpoint Discrimination

A recent article by Joshua Geltzer and Lawrence Tribe on Politico discussed how President Trump's breach of the First Amendment's freedom of speech and freedom of the press will be addressed in a New York federal court next week. Geltzer and Tribe, with the assistance of other experts, filed a "friend-of-the-court brief" supporting individuals who accused Trump (through the judicial system) of violating their First Amendment rights.

Throughout his presidency (according to the article), he has been found to frame media "as enemies of the people" and uses viewpoint discrimination to create a disadvantage for individuals, groups, or media outlets that have portrayed him in a negative light. For example, he "stripped CNN reporter Jim Acosta of his White House press credentials in retaliation for his vigorous questioning."

As social media continues to be increasingly prominent in our society, not only for entertainment purposes, but for important discussions, President Trump's actions have had a monumental impact. "The legal dispute" that will be addressed in federal court next week is rooted in reports that President Trump's twitter account, @realDonaldTrump, has blocked other accounts who have posted negative information or comments about him. The authors of the article make the claim that, even though Twitter is a private entity, Trump is treating this platform as a public forum or "town hall," and therefore cannot exclude anyone based on their views or political positions.

This debate over the President's use of social media and his actions regarding the First Amendment are nowhere near over. As election season is getting closer, his actions and those of other politicians (both in public appearances and on social media) will no doubt have an impact on our views, and, potentially, the box we check on our ballot.

That's all for now!