Trump: ‘A Free Society Cannot Allow Social Media Giants to Silence’ Free Speech

President Donald Trump used part of his speech before the United Nations Tuesday to warn of the growing accumulation of power by big tech companies.

In one of the President’s strongest statements on social media bias yet, Trump argued that social media censorship is incompatible with a free society. He also drew attention to the growing trend of censorship, “canceling,” and blacklisting in general.

“We must always be skeptical of those who want conformity and control,” said the President. “Even in free nations, we see alarming signs and new challenges to liberty.”

“A small number of social media platforms are acquiring immense power, over what we can see and over what we are allowed to say,” he continued.

“A permanent political class is openly disdainful, dismissive and defiant of the will of the people. A faceless bureaucracy operates in secret and weakens democratic rule. Media and academic institutions push flat-out assaults on our histories, traditions and values.”

“In the United States, my administration has made clear to social media companies that we will uphold the right of free speech.”

“A free society cannot allow social media giants to silence the voices of the people. And a free people must never, ever be enlisted in the cause of silencing, coercing, canceling or blacklisting their own neighbors.”

Trump’s statements put him at odds with globalist political leaders, who want social media platforms to engage in more censorship, not less. At a summit dubbed the “Christchurch Call for Action” earlier this year, the leaders of France, Germany, Britain, and New Zealand demanded social media platforms clamp down on “violent extremism.”

President Trump’s White House publicly refused to co-sign the call for action.

Censorship and discrimination on the basis of political viewpoint have become widespread across big tech platforms. As Breitbart News revealed earlier this year, Facebook maintains a list of political figures and commentators that it considers potential “hate agents.” And Google-owned YouTube has deliberately reordered its search results in response to ideological complaints from left-wing journalists.

Even the President’s son, Donald Trump Jr., has been affected by big tech censorship — in February, Facebook-owned Instagram deleted a post from Don Jr. about notorious hate crime hoaxster Jussie Smollett. Instagram later claimed the removal was an “error.” More recently, Don Jr. reported that his name and that of the President were not appearing in Instagram search suggestions.

Instagram’s explanation? Another “error.”