Trump v. WSJ: Silencing the Press Is Not Democracy! Denounce It

Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch is a direct attack on a free press. His attempt to intimidate journalists for reporting verified ties to Jeffrey Epstein mirrors tactics used by authoritarian regimes to silence dissent. Legal experts, including First Amendment scholar Jameel Jaffer, warn that weaponizing defamation lawsuits in this way has a chilling effect on journalism and threatens the foundation of public accountability. History reminds us what happens when leaders demonize the media. In the 1930s, governments in Germany and Italy used propaganda and legal threats to dismantle press freedom. Those early moves helped enable authoritarian control. America’s founders saw this risk clearly and enshrined press freedom in the First Amendment for a reason. A press that can investigate and report without fear is essential to a functioning democracy. This is not about party loyalty; it is about protecting the truth. Congress must publicly condemn these attacks on the press and make clear that no president is above accountability. When political leaders sue the media into silence, it is not leadership. It is tyranny.