President Donald Trump has sparked outrage after posting on his social media platform Truth Social that he would cut federal funding to schools and universities that allow what he called “illegal protests.” He also threatened to have protest participants arrested, deported, or expelled and banned the use of masks at demonstrations. The First Amendment of the Constitution protects Americans from those actions.
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“All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests,” Trump wrote on Tuesday morning. “Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on the crime, arrested. NO MASKS! Thank you for your attention to this matter.” He didn't say what constituted an illegal protest.
Legal experts and civil rights organizations quickly denounced Trump’s threats as an unconstitutional attack on free speech. Barbara McQuade, a University of Michigan law professor and former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that the post appeared to intimidate student protesters.
“Peaceful protests, of course, are not ‘illegal.’ A government ban on peaceful protests would violate the First Amendment. The goal here seems to be intimidation and fear to chill free speech,” McQuade said.
Trump’s post comes as student-led demonstrations have begun nationwide, particularly against anti-LGBTQ+ policies, book bans, and restrictions on gender-affirming care. It also follows his administration’s executive order eliminating federal recognition of transgender and nonbinary people, a move that has already stripped LGBTQ+ protections from schools, workplaces, and public accommodations.
Related: Donald Trump’s government declares that transgender and nonbinary people don’t exist
GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis told The Advocate that Trump’s threats against student protesters are part of a broader attack on fundamental rights.
“Freedom of speech and assembly are bedrock American values, despite Trump’s desperate attempts to censor. America is still the land of the free, where students can use their voices to speak up for themselves and for their peers against the unhinged attacks by people in power. Every American still has fundamental freedoms to be themselves, be safe, and be heard,” Ellis said in a statement.
The impact of Trump’s threats could be particularly severe for LGBTQ+ students, as new Gallup data shows that 23.1 percent of Gen Z identifies as LGBTQ+, up from 19 percent in 2020. More than half of LGBTQ+ Gen Z individuals identify as bisexual. Among adults overall, LGBTQ+ identification has nearly tripled over the past 12 years, now standing at 9.3 percent.
At Illinois State University, students have already been protesting in response to increasing hostility toward LGBTQ+ people. The Vidette, ISU’s student-run news outlet, reported that students gathered on campus in January for a demonstration called “Stop LGBTQ+ Hate.” The protest was held in response to rising anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, including anonymous online posts opposing gender-inclusive restrooms. Protesters marched across the Quad, chanting, “LGBT, the ‘T’ is not silent,” and “Trans rights are human rights.” Organizers said the demonstration was part of a broader movement to push back against efforts to erase transgender and nonbinary people from public life.
Andrew Franson, an ISU freshman who participated in the protest, told The Vidette that student activism is critical, particularly in a time of increasing political hostility toward marginalized groups.
“The important thing here is that we’re standing in solidarity with all marginalized and oppressed peoples, particularly transgender individuals who have the right to use the restroom, and they have the right to identify with the gender that they feel comfortable identifying with,” Franson said.
Trump’s post also comes at a time of growing unrest within the federal government, where his administration has been cutting civil service jobs and targeting employees linked to diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Mass layoffs, particularly under Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, have sparked protests from workers who say the administration is trying to dismantle federal agencies. Fired government employees are organizing online, leaking documents to journalists, and staging in-person demonstrations outside federal offices.
Free speech advocates warn of the chilling effect his words could have on college campuses. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting free speech and academic freedom, criticized Trump’s threats in a statement and warned that such rhetoric could lead to widespread university censorship.
FIRE noted that the president does not have unilateral authority to revoke federal funds from colleges that allow protests. Any effort to do so would require legal proceedings and approval from Congress. The organization also pointed out that students at public colleges, and often private ones, are entitled to due process before facing disciplinary action.
“Threatening schools with the loss of federal funding will result in a crackdown on lawful speech. Schools will censor first and ask questions later,” FIRE stated. “Even the most controversial political speech is protected by the First Amendment.”
GLSEN executive director Melanie Willingham-Jaggers also condemned Trump’s statement, calling it another attempt to suppress students’ voices.
“Donald Trump and his political appointees are trying to silence the growing diversity of the next generation with threats and tantrums. LGBTQ+ students know that speaking truth to power may not always be popular, but has always been protected by the First Amendment. This is not the first time that Trump has sought to chill free expression and threatened states and schools with withholding funds if they don’t bend to his will. Any impacted school should follow the law and respect students’ rights instead of catering to today’s whims coming out of the White House,” Willingham-Jaggers said in a statement to The Advocate.
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