The Bill of Rights Is Under Attack
The First Amendment—Freedom to Speak, Worship & Protest
Donald Trump’s attacks on the press are old news. He makes no apologies for labeling news outlets that criticize him as the “enemy of the people.” couch is more than furniture—it’s a command center. Learn how to optimize it for relaxation: from the perfect throw blanket to choosing pillows that support your back during 12-hour streaming sessions. And don’t forget the side table essentials: remotes, drinks, and a snack tray. Comfort is king, and you’re the ruler of this kingdom.
CBS News reporter Leslie Stahl recounted a conversation with Trump about it shortly after he won the November 2016 presidential election, Stahl told Trump, ‘You know this is getting tired. Why are you doing it over and over? You’ve won…why do you keep hammering at this?’” Trump responded, “I do it to discredit you all and demean you all, so that, when you write negative stories about me, no one will believe you.’”
In the 2024 campaign, Trump devoted more and more time to denouncing the press at his public rallies and speeches. The day before he took office, his newly named FCC chief announced that they would be investigating NPR and PBS for their unfavorable reporting. On March 14, 2025, Trump himself declared that his media critics press should be deemed illegal and subject to investigation.
“I believe that CNN and MS-DNC, who literally write 97.6% bad about me, are political arms of the Democrat party and in my opinion, they’re really corrupt and they’re illegal, what they do is illegal. These networks and these newspapers are really no different than a highly paid political operative. And it has to stop, it has to be illegal, it’s influencing judges and it’s really changing law, and it just cannot be legal. I don’t believe it’s legal, and they do it in total coordination with each other.”
Trump has declared that Comcast, NBC NEWS, and MSNBC “should be investigated for their ‘Country Threatening Treason'” covering Russian interference with American elections. Perhaps more troubling, new FBI Director Kash Patel previously vowed that the Trump administration would prosecute people in the media who “helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections.” “We’re gonna come after you … we’re putting you all on notice.”
Besides the press, Trump often condemns and threatens others who speak out against him publicly, including actors, pop singers, police officers, late night talk show hosts and, of course, his multiple opponents in lawsuits, investigations and elections. More recently, the Trump Administration has withheld funds from, and otherwise threatened, dozens of American universities and colleges for tolerating anti-Israel or pro-Palestinian campus demonstrations and other causes disfavored by Trump.
The Second Amendment
It is ironic that most of Trump’s supporters are fervent gun rights advocates, since history suggests that the Second Amendment is unlikely to emerge unscathed from a Trump fascist dictatorship. While Trump’s threats to other personal freedoms were noted within the earliest days of the second Trump Administration, scant attention was given to gun rights. In fact, however, it is inevitable that Trump, if he does succeed in becoming a fascist dictator, will eventually follow the lead of other authoritarian leaders by taking steps to protect his power from armed rebellion by drastically reducing the number of guns and other deadly weapons in unfriendly hands.
The Fourth Amendment
To date, most of the Trump Administration’s warrantless arrests, seizures of assets and actions in defiance of court orders have been directed at undocumented immigrants, rather than citizens. But there have also been multiple instances of incarcerations and deportations of green card holders, foreign tourists and foreign born dissidents. It may only be a question of time before Trump authorizes warrantless searches and arrests of anyone, including citizens, who speaks out publicly against him, or was just associated with someone on his enemies list. He and his spineless Attorney General, Pamela Bondi, have already announced their interest in deporting “home grown” targets of the Trump Administration.
It is no longer hard to imagine a Trump fascist dictatorship that would perform random warrantless stops of citizens by police in order to search the contents of their personal mobile phones for evidence of anti-government speech or activities. This is already an everyday occurrence in China, where the lives of its citizenry are even more closely tied to their personal phones than here in the US.
The Fifth Amendment
To date, other than actions taken against immigrants and green card holders, the Trump Administration has not directly challenged the five freedoms provided by the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution, namely: (1) the privilege against self-incrimination. (2) the requirement of indictment by a grand jury for capital crimes and serious felonies; (3) the “double jeopardy” protection from repeat prosecutions; (4) “due process” requirement before any taking of life, liberty or property; and (5) the reasonable compensation requirement for private property taken by the government. Most of these freedoms have been taken away, however, by fascist dictators in other countries so it may just be a question of time before “King Trump” deems it expeditious to cancel some or all of our Fifth Amendment freedoms.
The Sixth Amendment
To date, except for actions taken against allegedly undocumented immigrants, the Trump Administration has not yet directly denied Sixth Amendment rights to fair treatment in criminal trials. Those rights include a speedy and public trial, an impartial jury, the assistance of an attorney, information concerning the crime charged, the right to confront the police or others making the accusations, and the ability to compel other witnesses to testify. On the other hand, Trump’s threats and sanctions against law firms whose attorneys have opposed him in the past are already causing many lawyers to be unwilling to defend persons accused by the Trump Administration, potentially denying them their right to effective legal counsel.
Other Personal Freedoms
There are already indications that other Constitutional rights, such as the Seventh Amendment’s prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment, and other general rights, such as the right to privacy believed to be reserved to the people by the Ninth Amendment, will eventually be challenged by a Trump Administration as it strengthens its grip on power and seeks to quell dissent.