Today, President Trump struck back against the efforts of Democrats and liberals to limit free speech and debate. President Trump issued an order to protect free speech on college campuses. As RNLA Vice President for Communications Harmeet Dhillon tweeted:
@realDonaldTrump announcing historic executive order holding colleges and universities accountable for suppressing free speech and for ripping off students and burdening them with debt for degrees of low value. Time for transparency and accountability in higher education! pic.twitter.com/Fkw2sZPTFX
— Harmeet K. Dhillon (@pnjaban) March 21, 2019
Here is a link to the Executive Order and one excerpt:
In particular, my Administration seeks to promote free and open debate on college and university campuses. Free inquiry is an essential feature of our Nation's democracy, and it promotes learning, scientific discovery, and economic prosperity. We must encourage institutions to appropriately account for this bedrock principle in their administration of student life and to avoid creating environments that stifle competing perspectives, thereby potentially impeding beneficial research and undermining learning.
Despite liberal claims to the contrary the fight to be able to express your views on campus is real.
FIRE, which monitors universities and tracks when they disinvite speakers because of controversy, found that almost a third of universities in 2018 maintained “speech codes that clearly and substantially restrict freedom of speech.” FIRE’s report concluded that another 58 percent of universities had policies vague enough to suppress constitutionally protected speech.
One particular group that has been a victim of speech restrictions, Young Americans for Freedom, explains it well:
“Since his inauguration, President Trump and his administration have shown significant interest and support for the work of Young America’s Foundation and our student activists,” YAF Spokesman Spencer Brown released in a statement. “We are especially optimistic and honored to have the President building upon the work of Young America’s Foundation to protect First Amendment rights on campuses across the nation.”
"When it comes to constitutional rights, no student group has done more than Young America’s Foundation to defend free speech on high school and college campuses. In addition to our victory over UC Berkeley, Young America’s Foundation successfully defended the God-given right to free expression and free assembly against censorious administrators at the University of Texas–Austin, Kennesaw State University, the University of Virginia, and California State University–Los Angeles, to name a few. Along with these recent victories, Young America’s Foundation is currently engaged in lawsuits defending the First and Fourteenth Amendment rights of students at the University of Minnesota and the University of Florida," YAF also released.
Thank you, President Trump, for fighting for free speech.