‘Many of us knew that the second term of Donald Trump would be much more dangerous than the first’

Reed Brody, former New York Assistant Attorney General, and renowned human rights lawyer known for holding dictators accountable, is now sounding the alarm at home. He describes what he sees as an “unprecedented attack on freedom of expression” in the United States: A broad, systematic effort to silence any dissent (in the media, at law firms, NGOs, universities) using all of the levers of government. And this goes far beyond censorship, Brody tells us. “It’s a litmus test of obedience to Donald Trump”, enforced through corporate pressure and regulatory threats. He points to recent cases like the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s show, and CBS’s announcement it will be ending The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in May 2026, during high-stakes billion-dollar merger talks with federal regulators. From late-night television to elite universities, Brody argues that dissenting voices are being squeezed through indirect but deliberate means, not by violating the First Amendment, but by exploiting every possible loophole in the law, accompanied by the vast levers of power. “What’s happening is much more pernicious, and dangerous,” than violating freedom of speech, he warns. It’s targeted, sophisticated, and cloaked in legality.