President Donald Trump’s 9:45 p.m. tweet on Tuesday night, Dec. 1, announcing that he will veto the 2021 military spending bill — now being finalized between the House, Senate, and White House — unless it contains a repeal of Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, sent the Anglophile “elite” into outer orbit. Section 230 protects social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) from being sued, because they once claimed to be platforms for free speech by third parties. Trump has been threatening to take action against these companies for months, as they began brazenly asserting their right to censor “unapproved” free speech — even by the President of the United States!
Trump’s tweet was blunt: “Section 230, which is a liability shielding gift from the U.S. to ‘Big Tech’ (the only companies in America that have it - corporate welfare!), is a serious threat to our National Security & Election Integrity. Our Country can never be safe & secure if we allow it to stand. Therefore, if the very dangerous & unfair Section 230 is not completely terminated as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), I will be forced to unequivocally VETO the Bill when sent to the very beautiful Resolute desk. Take back America NOW. Thank you!”
Democrats are hysterical that Trump would dare threaten such bold action as they hope to seize back control of government. House Armed Services Committee Chair Adam Smith protested that “Section 230 repeal wasn’t included in the House OR Senate version of the NDAA,” although Republicans and Democrats have been talking about reforming Section 230 for months. He worried that Congress might not be able to override a veto, and the whole process of negotiating an NDAA bill would have to begin from scratch with the new Congress.
