Trump’sAdministration and the Erosion of Free Speech
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees free speech, a democratic cornerstone enabling criticism of government and political discourse without fear of reprisal. In 2025, however, President Donald Trump’s administration is systematically undermining this right to prioritize Israel’s interests, particularly to shield its ongoing genocide against Palestinians. The May 22, 2025, Washington, D.C., shooting of Israeli embassy staff and the response by Department of Justice (DOJ) officials Pam Bondi and Leo Terrell, amplified by pro-Israel group @StopAntisemites, exemplify this trend. Executive Order 14188, signed on January 29, 2025, establishes the administration’s pre-existing intent to target critics like TikTok influencer Guy Christensen, whose courage mirrors Sophie Scholl’s resistance against Nazi oppression. By placing Israel’s agenda above American constitutional rights, the Trump administration violates its duty, stifles free speech, and condones Israel’s genocide.
On May 22, 2025, Elias Rodriguez, a 30-year-old Chicago resident and Palestinian advocate, shot and killed two Israeli embassy staff members, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. Rodriguez shouted “Free, free Palestine” after his arrest, explicitly linking his act to Israel’s genocide in Gaza. This genocide, documented by Amnesty International, includes deliberate extermination through starvation policies, with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant calling Palestinians “human animals” and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declaring, “Not a single grain of wheat will enter Gaza.” TikTok influencer Guy Christensen condemned the violence but contextualized it, comparing it to Herschel Grynszpan’s 1938 assassination of a Nazi diplomat—a desperate act born of oppression. Grynszpan’s act illustrates how systemic oppression, like Israel’s genocide, breeds violence, which is then exploited to justify further violence, as Nazi Germany used it to unleash Kristallnacht. Christensen, like Sophie Scholl, who faced execution for denouncing Nazi atrocities, critiqued Israel’s genocide, noting Lischinsky’s IDF ties and Christian identity to challenge antisemitism claims.
Christensen’s statements are protected under the First Amendment. The Supreme Court’s ruling in Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969) protects speech unless it incites imminent lawless action with intent and likelihood. Christensen’s analogy and critique of Israel’s genocide—a crime under the 1948 Genocide Convention—fall within constitutional bounds, echoing Scholl’s principled dissent.
@StopAntisemites, a pro-Israel group, responded on May 23, 2025, labeling Christensen’s comments as “glorifying terrorism,” “spreading antisemitic propaganda,” and “celebrating the murder of Jews,” despite his focus on Israel’s genocidal policies, not Jewish identity. Known for doxxing and intimidating critics, the group aligns with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which has prioritized Israel’s interests since the 1960s, evading Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) scrutiny despite Sen. J.W. Fulbright’s critiques. AIPAC’s influence shields Israel from accountability for its genocide, including Gallant’s dehumanizing rhetoric and Smotrich’s starvation edict, enabling policies that Trump’s administration protects over American free speech rights.
The Trump administration’s targeting of Christensen reflects a deliberate Israel-first agenda, rooted in policies like Executive Order 14188, signed on January 29, 2025, months before the shooting. EO 14188 expands the definition of antisemitism to include certain criticisms of Israel, empowering federal agencies to investigate and penalize protected speech, particularly on campuses and online platforms. This pre-existing policy set the stage for DOJ officials Leo Terrell and Pam Bondi to amplify @StopAntisemites’ post on May 23, 2025. Terrell, Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, stated, “Will review all leads!” linking to @StopAntisemites’ narrative, while Bondi, U.S. Attorney General, responded, “THANKS LEO!” Their posts, viewed 494.9K and 1.4M times, endorse a group defending Israel’s genocide while signaling federal scrutiny of critics, consistent with EO 14188’s framework.
This Israel-first approach violates DOJ guidelines in the Justice Manual, which prohibit statements that could bias ongoing investigations. Rodriguez’s motive, tied to Israel’s genocide, is under investigation, yet Terrell and Bondi’s actions risk prejudicing the case by endorsing @StopAntisemites’ framing. Their conduct reflects Trump’s broader policy of prioritizing Israel—evident in his 2018 embassy move to Jerusalem, unwavering AIPAC support, and EO 14188—placing Israel’s interests above American constitutional protections. Christensen’s principled stand, like Scholl’s, is targeted to silence dissent against Israel’s atrocities.
Many U.S. politicians, particularly GOP and MAGA figures with AIPAC ties like Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, immediately framed the shooting as Muslim antisemitic terrorism, despite Rodriguez not being Muslim and his motive being explicitly political—opposition to Israel’s genocide, marked by Gallant’s “human animals” slur and Smotrich’s “not a single grain of wheat” policy. This deliberate mischaracterization, fueled by AIPAC’s influence, exploits the tragedy to vilify Palestinian advocacy and justify harsher measures against critics, mirroring Nazi Germany’s use of Grynszpan’s act to escalate violence against Jews. By aligning with this narrative, the Trump administration prioritizes Israel’s image over truth, undermining American rights to free speech.
The Trump administration’s Israel-first agenda, through EO 14188 and DOJ endorsements of @StopAntisemites, stifles free speech and condones Israel’s genocide. Christensen’s protected speech, like Scholl’s pamphlets exposing Nazi crimes, is mischaracterized to justify potential repercussions, building on Trump’s 2019 executive order targeting campus activism. The DOJ’s actions, driven by AIPAC’s influence, silence discourse on Israel’s genocide—evidenced by Gallant’s dehumanizing rhetoric, Smotrich’s starvation decree, and the ICJ’s preliminary findings of plausible genocidal acts. By prioritizing Israel over American rights, the administration undermines the First Amendment’s protection of controversial speech, as affirmed in Snyder v. Phelps (2011).
The erosion of free speech parallels Nazi Germany’s tactics, where Grynszpan’s act was exploited to justify Kristallnacht, fueling a cycle of violence. Similarly, AIPAC-backed politicians and @StopAntisemites use Rodriguez’s act to suppress criticism of Israel’s genocide, risking collective blame by conflating it with antisemitism. The Trump administration’s Israel-first policies, from EO 14188 to DOJ actions, create a chilling effect, deterring Americans from addressing atrocities like those described by Gallant and Smotrich. Christensen’s courage, like Scholl’s, stands as a bulwark against this authoritarian trend, yet faces federal intimidation.
The Trump administration’s response to the Washington, D.C. shooting, guided by Executive Order 14188’s pre-established framework and DOJ officials’ endorsement of @StopAntisemites, reveals a deliberate prioritization of Israel’s interests over American constitutional rights. By targeting Guy Christensen’s protected speech—akin to Sophie Scholl’s resistance—and misframing Rodriguez’s act as Muslim antisemitic terrorism, the administration, influenced by AIPAC, condones Israel’s genocide, marked by Gallant’s “human animals” rhetoric and Smotrich’s “not a single grain of wheat” policy. These actions violate the First Amendment, fuel a cycle of oppression and violence, and undermine democracy. To preserve American values, the administration must cease shielding Israel from accountability and protect criticism of genocide as a fundamental right.