President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday designed – in theory – to make it easier to sue social media companies such as Twitter, days…
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday designed – in theory – to make it easier to sue social media companies such as Twitter, days after the site placed a fact check label on two of his tweets.
While the order is expected to call for changes in regulations that shield social media companies from legal liability, the Trump administration cannot do that on its own – changes can only be made by independent agencies and, ultimately, the courts.
The order is Trump’s latest effort to undermine an online landscape he says stifles conservative voices.
“We’re here today to defend free speech from one of the greatest dangers,” Trump said during a brief signing ceremony in the Oval Office.
Legal analysts described a draft order reviewed by USA TODAY as election year politics.
“It is a mix of political bluster, very-likely unenforceable provisions that would call for changes to federal legislation – and not an executive order – and a few areas where there might be some real questions,” said Kate Klonick, assistant professor at St. John’s Law School.
Trump also said he and Attorney General William Barr would pursue congressional legislation to further regulate social media companies.
The executive order will also likely be challenged in court. ACLU attorney Kate Ruane described the president’s remarks as a “blatant and unconstitutional threat.”
Administration officials declined to discuss details of the order Thursday, and initial drafts of such orders often change significantly before they are released by the White House.
Trump threatened Wednesday to “strongly regulate” social media platforms or “close them down.” Those threats followed a decision by Twitter this week to apply a fact check label to the president’s tweets about mail-in balloting.
