John Harwood on Trump's attack on free speech: ‘Everyone in civil society needs to stand up'

In recent weeks, the Trump administration has launched a multipronged crackdown on institutions and speech that challenge his agenda, targeting Big Law, universities, and media outlets. Amid this escalating assault on the First Amendment, veteran journalist John Harwood and First Amendment scholar Mary Anne Franks argue that institutions such as the press and academia must reevaluate their approaches to neutrality and objectivity. “Everyone in civil society needs to stand up,” Harwood says. “That includes the business sector. [Trump] is going to destroy the rule of law.” Franks cautions that we may be underestimating the threat to our own detriment. “It may seem when you attack Columbia University, that you’re just attacking a bunch of elites. But you’re attacking the idea of knowledge, you’re attacking the idea of criticism,” she warns. “This is a direct threat to all of us.” For more context and news coverage of the most important stories of our day click here: https://www.msnbc.com/ » Subscribe to MSNBC: https://www.youtube.com/msnbc » Subscribe to MSNBC on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@msnbc » Subscribe to MSNBC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/msnbc Download our new MSNBC app for the latest breaking news and daily headlines at a glance: https://www.msnbc.com/information/download-msnbc-app-n1241692 Follow MSNBC Show Blogs MaddowBlog: https://www.msnbc.com/maddowblog MSNBC delivers breaking news, in-depth analysis of political headlines, commentary and informed perspectives. Find video clips and segments from The Rachel Maddow Show, Inside with Jen Psaki, Morning Joe, The Beat, Deadline: White House, All In, The Last Word, The 11th Hour, and more. Connect with MSNBC Online Visit msnbc.com: https://www.msnbc.com/ Subscribe to the MSNBC Daily Newsletter: https://link.msnbc.com/join/5ck/msnbc-daily-signup #JohnHarwood #Trump #MSNBC