In his inaugural address on Monday, President Donald Trump rightly pledged to “bring back free speech to America.” Trump continued, “Never again will the immense power of the state be weaponized to persecute political opponents, something I know something about. We will not allow that to happen. It will not happen again. Under my leadership, we will restore fair, equal, and impartial justice under the Constitution and the rule of law.”
One day later, the president broke his word. In removing a Secret Service protective detail from former national security adviser John Bolton, Trump has shown he is absolutely willing to persecute political opponents in response to their free speech. Think about what message Trump is sending here. Namely, that if you pursue public service but then criticize a powerful American, you must be aware that said powerful American might allow his ego to enable a foreign adversary’s murderous ambitions against you. This is a distinctly un-American form of governance.
