Free speech is shifting under Trump. We’re exploring how

Many Americans are worried that their First Amendment right to free speech is fading.

Our reporting found scientists are scrubbing reports and federal grant applications of words the Trump administration has banned. Some student activists are afraid participating in protests could lead to deportation. Teachers are nervous about a new online portal where students or parents can file complaints about diversity, equity, and inclusion lessons in class with the U.S. Department of Education.

Yet plenty of others, including anti-abortion activists, the far-right activist group Moms for Liberty and members of university Republican clubs, say they feel more free today to express views without fear of a backlash now that President Trump is back in office.

“We now have more members who are willing to help us publicize the club, attach their faces to the club, and be outwardly and openly conservative than we did before the election,” says Miguel Muniz, President of the College Republicans at UC Berkeley.

Free speech ranked as the second most important issue for voters heading into the 2024 presidential election, ahead of crime, immigration and healthcare, according to a poll by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression taken a month before the election. Republicans were more likely to rate it “very important” and nearly half of Republican respondents said they spoke less freely under President Biden than they did under President Trump.

That may be why soon after President Trump was sworn back into office, one of the first actions he took was to sign an executive order aimed at “restoring freedom of speech and ending federal censorship.”

His critics say his concern for free speech is only for speech his administration finds acceptable.

You can find all the stories in this series here.