The numbers that defined the Trump administration’s attacks against the press in 2025
After waiting four years to return to the White House, President Donald Trump did not hesitate.
Congratulations from foreign leaders were still pouring in on Inauguration Day when Trump signed his first directive. That day, he issued a raft of executive orders, proclamations and pardons that remade vast swaths of public policy and upended lives around the globe. Among those affected by his actions were journalists. Just nine hours into his term, Trump suspended hundreds of millions of dollars of foreign aid meant to support press freedom overseas.
Since then, Trump and his administration have launched a barrage of attacks on the press, both in the United States and abroad. Presidential administrations have always had adversarial relationships with the press, but many of Trump’s actions are unprecedented. Journalists have been harassed, laid off, detained, deported, investigated, sued and assaulted under the current administration.
But they’re also fighting back. While some outlets have taken steps that onlookers have criticized as examples of “anticipatory obedience,” others are challenging the administration’s actions in court. Federal judges have granted media organizations many early victories in their lawsuits against Trump, though it remains too early to tell what the final outcomes of those cases will be.
As 2025 comes to a close, here is a look back at some of the numbers that defined this year in press freedom.
Related Knowledge Center: The White House vs. the press
Whether it’s the Des Moines Register’s publication of an unfavorable election poll, a routine edit of a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, or the Associated Press’s decision in its authoritative stylebook to continue to use “Gulf of Mexico,” Donald Trump and the White House have used executive authority and legal reprisals in an effort to punish and suppress press coverage that runs contrary to the administration’s preferred narratives.
Democracy and politics | Signalgate | The CBS submission | Voiceless America
Related Knowledge Center: Free speech and public protest
The First Amendment is facing challenging times: Crackdowns on campus protests prompted both-sides claims of intolerance. Attempts to head off dangerous health misinformation have been characterized as violations of free speech. Donald Trump is publicly punishing news outlets that deviate from his administration’s version of events while privately suing some outlets into submission.
The White House vs. the press | Voiceless America
Related Knowledge Center: 2025: looking back
The annual retrospectives from news organizations.