Ep. 263: Free speech in Trump 2.0

Ep. 263: Free speech in Trump 2.0

From So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast by FIRE

February 2, 2026 · 1h 11m · Episode 263

About this episode

The episode examines the Trump administration's record on free speech and recent protests, featuring discussions with legal experts.

One year into Trump 2.0, we examine the administration's record on free speech and how it compares to the president's campaign pledge to "bring back free speech to America." We also discuss recent ICE protests, including the right to carry a gun and to film law enforcement, and what these encounters reveal about protest rights today. Today we are joined by: Clark Neily, senior vice president for legal studies at the Cato Institute Timothy Zick, professor of government and citizenship at William & Mary Law School and author of the new book Trump 2.0: Executive Power and the First Amendment Conor Fitzpatrick, supervising senior attorney at FIRE Zick is also the author of Public Protest and Governmental Immunities , Managed Dissent: The Law of Public Protest , and Arming Public Protests . Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:47 ICE protests: Alex Pretti , filming police, and the right to carry a gun 13:30 How to hold law enforcement accountable 19:10 Don Lemon 's arrest 23:27 Trump's retribution politics and the "domestic terrorist" label 35:05 FCC pressure and attacks on the media 39:40 Free speech for noncitizens 53:49 Attacks on higher education 58:40 Trump 1.0 vs. Trump 2.0 01:02:25 What…

People in this episode

Guests: Clark Neily, Timothy Zick, Conor Fitzpatrick

Topics covered

  • free speech
  • Trump administration
  • protest rights
  • law enforcement
  • media attacks
  • higher education

Keywords

  • Trump 2.0
  • free speech
  • ICE protests
  • law enforcement accountability
  • media pressure
  • higher education attacks

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Cato Institute, FIRE

Books & works: Trump 2.0: Executive Power and the First Amendment, Public Protest and Governmental Immunities, Managed Dissent: The Law of Public Protest, Arming Public Protests

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