The White House said Wednesday that Jane Fonda is “free to share whatever bad opinions she wants” amid her relaunch of a McCarthy-era free-speech group, while insisting President Donald Trump remains “a strong supporter of free speech.”
Jane Fonda Cites Government Speech Suppression
Press secretary Abigail Jackson made the remarks after Fonda revived the Committee for the First Amendment, as per a report by The Hill. Fonda, on Wednesday, announced the group’s return and warned of growing threats to expression. In its statement, the committee said the federal government is “once again engaged in a coordinated campaign to silence critics in the government, the media, the judiciary, academia, and the entertainment industry.” The committee framed the effort as nonpartisan and rooted in the right to criticize those in power.
Hollywood Heavyweights Back Effort, Supporter List Grows
More than 550 entertainment figures have signed on, according to CNN. Among the backers named in public lists are Aaron Sorkin, Barbra Streisand, Glenn Close, J.J. Abrams, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Julianne Moore, Kerry Washington, Larry David, Lily Tomlin, Natalie Portman, Nikki Glaser, Patti LuPone, Pedro Pascal, Quinta Brunson, Rob Reiner, Rosie O’Donnell, Sean Penn, Spike Lee, Viola Davis, Wanda Sykes, Winona Ryder and Whoopi Goldberg.
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White House Defends Trump, Slams Left-Wing Groups
Asked by ITK for comment on Fonda’s move, Jackson used the nickname applied by critics during Fonda’s Vietnam-era activism. “‘Hanoi Jane’ is free to share whatever bad opinions she wants,” Jackson said.
“As someone who actually knows what it’s like to be censored, President Trump is a strong supporter of free speech and Democratic allegations to the contrary are so false, they’re laughable.” She added that Trump is focused on “left-wing organizations that have fueled violent riots, organized attacks against law enforcement officers, coordinated illegal doxing campaigns, arranged drop points for weapons and riot materials, [and] incited violence all across America.”
The committee’s relaunch follows weeks of controversy around late-night television, including ABC’s suspension and later return of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” after remarks about conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The fallout included FCC Chair Brendan Carr‘ pressure on broadcasters, reactions from figures such as Michael Eisner and bipartisan pushback from Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Ted Cruz (R-TX). As things stand, lawmakers continue to probe whether corporate decisions and federal approvals have intersected with speech disputes.
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