"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
- Presidential Oath of OfficeWhen pResident tRump was sworn into office earlier this year, he - like every president before him - took the Oath of Office. It's pretty simple. The central idea is that every president is bound by the Constitution. Unlike quite a few state constitutions, the U.S. Constitution - even with it's numerous amendments - isn't that big or complex. It's fairly clear that tRump has never read it, or at the very least doesn't understand it.
The very first amendment, one of the ten "Bill of Rights" amendments added just a couple years after the Constitution was ratified, contains the most important rights we consider to be a "given":
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances"
These words - enshrined in our Constitution which tRump swore to "preserve, protect, and defend" are the cornerstone rights that allow all of us to criticize the government without fear of reprisal from the government. Obviously, they do not protect us from the consequences of our words and actions in the private sphere, but there can be no recourse from the government.
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