Donald Trump and the End of Free Speech
Wednesday, 08 Jul 2015 07:18 AM
Donald Trump is the victim of political correctness gone wild in America.
So wild, what is happening to him could be an important marker in the end of free speech as we know it in this country.
After his comments about Mexican immigrants during his June presidential announcement, the billionaire businessman has become the target of a massive campaign to punish him. Already he has lost tens of millions in show and endorsement fees.
To date, he has been cut from Univision and NBC for his Miss Universe pageant, severed permanently from his top-rated "Apprentice" show, and dropped by Macy's, the Professional Golfers' Association, NASCAR, and even Serta mattresses from endorsement deals.
However controversial one may think Trump’s comments, I am amazed practically no one is asking about the free-speech implications of the effort to punish and silence him.
Well, let's look at what Trump actually said. Here is the verbatim guote: "The U.S. has become a dumping ground for everybody else's problems. It's true.
"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."
Trump has made it clear that he was not saying all Mexicans or illegals are criminals.
Sure, he could have been more precise and nuanced like most politicians in his original comment. But he’s not a professional politician.
Still, his point was clear: We have a problem when anybody can walk across the border, including people who may have had murder or rape records and commit more crimes here.
Trump was guilty of blunt talk, not a racist diatribe, as has been claimed.
One need only speak to Arizona border sheriffs like Joe Arpaio and Paul Babeu to discover that our nearly porous border has brought a major crime wave, including increased gang activity across our border states.
That story gets little attention from the major media.
Then of course there's the recent maddening case of the illegal alien accused of randomly murdering a woman in San Francisco after he reportedly had been deported to Mexico five times.
CNN reported that at one point, nearly 1 in 5 Mexicans caught trying to enter Arizona illegally had a criminal record.
Most illegals are not violent criminals. They want a better life for themselves and their families. While it’s wrong to break the law to enter the United States, we should still set up a humane work-permit system to tax illegals and identify them for law enforcement purposes.
And, like most Americans, I want the border nightmare to end. I can’t comprehend why millions of Americans have to practically disrobe at TSA airport checkpoints, but anyone, including terrorists, can simply walk across the Mexican border and gain access into the U.S. So, it’s no surprise to me that Trump is resonating.
Despite being demonized by many, including some of his fellow GOP White House hopefuls, Trump continues to rise in the polls.
A recent CNN national survey found that of the 14 announced Republican candidates, Trump placed second only to Jeb Bush.
Why the Trump surge?
Perhaps Americans don’t like the way Donald Trump is being treated. And many Americans may be worried about a much bigger issue, how Orwellian life in America is becoming.
So a homicidal maniac who apparently was on medication for psychosis killed nine people in Charleston, S.C., and the major media would have us believe it was caused by the Confederate flag.
And when Donald Trump railed against the problems of some criminals entering the U.S., there is an effort to paint him as a racist and crush his business activities.
The irony is that the Donald Trump I know does not have a racist bone in his body. In fact, he has a lifetime track record of befriending and promoting minorities in his programs and businesses.
Consider for a second that Trump owns some of the most exclusive real estate and swankiest clubs in the country, places that elsewhere have not been so welcoming to minorities. Not Trump. He welcomes them with open arms.
I just received a copy of an upcoming book by Mick Hume entitled “Trigger Warning: Is the Fear of Being Offensive Killing Free Speech?”
The book wonders if self-censorship will be the new norm in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo massacre.
The editors at Charlie Hebdo liked poking Muslims in the eye with constant blasphemous depictions of the Prophet Muhammad. For doing so they paid an incredible and unfortunate price.
As much as I disagree with their anti-religious satire (I respect people of all faiths), they had every right to do so under our sacred right to free speech. But it’s important to remember that before the massacre, there was little outcry from the media establishment that such free speech was racist, insensitive or inflammatory.
Trump has not been so lucky.
I believe the grant of free speech is a blanket one. We don’t pick and choose who it applies to. The last I checked Trump is covered by that right too.
Christopher Ruddy is CEO and editor of Newsmax Media Inc.
© 2015 Newsmax. All rights reserved.So wild, what is happening to him could be an important marker in the end of free speech as we know it in this country.
After his comments about Mexican immigrants during his June presidential announcement, the billionaire businessman has become the target of a massive campaign to punish him. Already he has lost tens of millions in show and endorsement fees.
To date, he has been cut from Univision and NBC for his Miss Universe pageant, severed permanently from his top-rated "Apprentice" show, and dropped by Macy's, the Professional Golfers' Association, NASCAR, and even Serta mattresses from endorsement deals.
However controversial one may think Trump’s comments, I am amazed practically no one is asking about the free-speech implications of the effort to punish and silence him.
Well, let's look at what Trump actually said. Here is the verbatim guote: "The U.S. has become a dumping ground for everybody else's problems. It's true.
"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."
Trump has made it clear that he was not saying all Mexicans or illegals are criminals.
Sure, he could have been more precise and nuanced like most politicians in his original comment. But he’s not a professional politician.
Still, his point was clear: We have a problem when anybody can walk across the border, including people who may have had murder or rape records and commit more crimes here.
Trump was guilty of blunt talk, not a racist diatribe, as has been claimed.
One need only speak to Arizona border sheriffs like Joe Arpaio and Paul Babeu to discover that our nearly porous border has brought a major crime wave, including increased gang activity across our border states.
That story gets little attention from the major media.
Then of course there's the recent maddening case of the illegal alien accused of randomly murdering a woman in San Francisco after he reportedly had been deported to Mexico five times.
CNN reported that at one point, nearly 1 in 5 Mexicans caught trying to enter Arizona illegally had a criminal record.
Most illegals are not violent criminals. They want a better life for themselves and their families. While it’s wrong to break the law to enter the United States, we should still set up a humane work-permit system to tax illegals and identify them for law enforcement purposes.
And, like most Americans, I want the border nightmare to end. I can’t comprehend why millions of Americans have to practically disrobe at TSA airport checkpoints, but anyone, including terrorists, can simply walk across the Mexican border and gain access into the U.S. So, it’s no surprise to me that Trump is resonating.
Latest News Update
Despite being demonized by many, including some of his fellow GOP White House hopefuls, Trump continues to rise in the polls.
A recent CNN national survey found that of the 14 announced Republican candidates, Trump placed second only to Jeb Bush.
Why the Trump surge?
Perhaps Americans don’t like the way Donald Trump is being treated. And many Americans may be worried about a much bigger issue, how Orwellian life in America is becoming.
So a homicidal maniac who apparently was on medication for psychosis killed nine people in Charleston, S.C., and the major media would have us believe it was caused by the Confederate flag.
And when Donald Trump railed against the problems of some criminals entering the U.S., there is an effort to paint him as a racist and crush his business activities.
The irony is that the Donald Trump I know does not have a racist bone in his body. In fact, he has a lifetime track record of befriending and promoting minorities in his programs and businesses.
Consider for a second that Trump owns some of the most exclusive real estate and swankiest clubs in the country, places that elsewhere have not been so welcoming to minorities. Not Trump. He welcomes them with open arms.
I just received a copy of an upcoming book by Mick Hume entitled “Trigger Warning: Is the Fear of Being Offensive Killing Free Speech?”
The book wonders if self-censorship will be the new norm in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo massacre.
The editors at Charlie Hebdo liked poking Muslims in the eye with constant blasphemous depictions of the Prophet Muhammad. For doing so they paid an incredible and unfortunate price.
As much as I disagree with their anti-religious satire (I respect people of all faiths), they had every right to do so under our sacred right to free speech. But it’s important to remember that before the massacre, there was little outcry from the media establishment that such free speech was racist, insensitive or inflammatory.
Trump has not been so lucky.
I believe the grant of free speech is a blanket one. We don’t pick and choose who it applies to. The last I checked Trump is covered by that right too.
Christopher Ruddy is CEO and editor of Newsmax Media Inc.
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