A former Supreme Court judge and one of the most senior legal figures in the UK has hit-out at the ‘uniquely authoritarian’ Donald Trump, arguing that the US President himself poses a major threat to free speech across America.
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Is Trump a bigger threat to free speech?
Lord Sumption appeared on Newsnight to discuss the extraordinary speech given by US Vice President JD Vance, in which the second-in-command (or third, behind Elon Musk) claimed the threat to free speech was a bigger problem in Europe than dealing with Russia.
The highly contentious statement has set alarm bells ringing across the continent, and European nations are set to hold an emergency summit to discuss a co-ordinated response on Monday. Keir Starmer is also expected to attend the talks.
Europe on high alert following JD Vance’s speech
This will come ahead of an anticipated visit to Washington DC for the PM, who is attempting to walk a diplomatic tightrope that would see him align the UK closer with the EU, without treading on the toes of President Trump or incurring his tariff wrath.
American rhetoric is becoming increasingly isolationist, and according to Lord Sumption, we’re now seeing signs of a ‘much bigger challenge’ for free speech in the States. Several major news publications have already been removed from The Pentagon.
Lord Sumption rips into ‘uniquely authoritarian’ Trump
Furthermore, Elon Musk’s unelected status has undermined the democratic process somewhat, with the tech billionaire slashing thousands of government jobs in his role as head of state efficiency. Musk is also meeting with world leaders and taking interviews in the Oval Office.
As Lord Sumption argues, this chaotic set-up does not bode well for Americans:
“Democracy and free speech are certainly under challenge in many European countries, but the challenge is not coming from governments. And now, these criticisms are pretty rich coming from a President who is quite uniquely authoritarian”
“JD Vance’s speech was silly and irresponsible. And if you look, democracy and free speech are under challenge in a much bigger way in the United States, and his boss, Donald Trump, is the man who is mainly responsible for that” | Lord Sumption