EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Donald Trump warned the press corps that institutional rules will change, sparking serious concerns among First Amendment scholars and media advocates.
WASHINGTON — In an era marked by escalating friction between the executive branch and the Fourth Estate, rhetoric targeting the press has increasingly shifted from routine political skirmishing toward explicit challenges to the operational independence of the media.
During a recent briefing, former President Donald Trump delivered an unvarnished warning directly to the assembled press corps, declaring that the institutional rules governing the news media were “going to change.”