Trump’s War on the Press: A Warning for Journalism in the U.S. and Puerto Rico

 If we surrender the press, we surrender democracy itself

Substack

In less than nine months in power, President Donald Trump has managed to alter not only the tone of American politics but also the nation’s very relationship with freedom of speech. His open threats to broadcasters — musing about silencing those who dare to criticize him — do not come from the playbook of a democratic leader. They sound less like the words of a U.S. president and more like the tactics of an authoritarian ruler who fears accountability and demands obedience.

For journalists, these remarks are more than rhetoric — they are a chilling reminder that the First Amendment, long considered untouchable, is now being tested in ways we haven’t seen in generations.

This is not the first time Americans have felt their freedoms constrained. The pandemic left many citizens with a lingering sense of mistrust toward government restrictions. But what is happening now is far more direct and dangerous: a president publicly targeting the press. Blocking media access, threatening licenses, and stigmatizing critical voices erode the very foundation of democracy.

For journalists in the United States, this is frightening enough, but for those of us in Puerto Rico, it is doubly chilling. We are, after all, still a colony.

Our governor, Jennifer González, has chosen to play the role of loyal lieutenant rather than defender of our people. Just weeks ago she reassured Puerto Ricans that ICE raids would not target Dominican immigrants. Within twenty-four hours, those very raids began sowing terror in immigrant communities. More than approximately 1,500 people have already been deported. At the same time, González postures like a wartime leader, echoing Trump’s confrontational stance toward Nicolás Maduro in the Caribbean. This is political theater at the expense of our dignity and security.

For journalists in Puerto Rico, the implications are especially troubling. As a U.S. territory, we are bound to the same federal protections of free speech and free press — yet we are uniquely vulnerable. Historically marginalized and often dismissed by Washington, Puerto Rican journalism depends on its ability to challenge authority and amplify the voices of those too often ignored. If Trump’s hostility toward the press becomes normalized, the chilling effect will be felt twice as strongly here.

So what comes next? Are we to be harassed, surveilled, or even arrested for doing our jobs? In Puerto Rico, where the press is already under-resourced and pushed to the margins, the danger is that Trump’s war on the media will embolden local leaders to muzzle dissent and silence uncomfortable truths.

The First Amendment is not just an abstract principle. It is the shield that allows journalists to ask hard questions, expose corruption, and hold leaders accountable. If that shield weakens, Puerto Rico will be among the first to feel the blow.

Let’s be clear: this is not Trump “speaking to his base.” This is the language of authoritarianism, and journalists cannot afford to take it lightly. What is at stake is nothing less than the survival of a free press — in the mainland and in Puerto Rico alike. If we surrender the press, we surrender democracy itself.