NEW YORK—In response to President Trump sharing incendiary and unverified content on Twitter, PEN America Executive Director Suzanne Nossel issued the following statement:
“For the President of the United States to traffic in incendiary, racially loaded, and unverified videos is reckless, noxious, and unbecoming to the office he holds. The spread of hate speech and the rise of hate crimes have become unmistakable hallmarks of the Trump Administration’s first year in office. They result from the President’s open indifference toward, tolerance of, and—as incidents like this one demonstrate—overt promotion of bigotry. The President cries “fake news” when there is coverage he doesn’t like, but appears not to have taken a single step to determine whether the reels he has shared depict actual, spontaneous events. He should remove the videos immediately, apologize for posting them in the first place, and take urgent steps to remedy the stains that his hate-infused administration is wreaking on our national fabric.”
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PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect open expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible.
CONTACT
Anoosh Gasparian, PEN America External Relations Coordinator: [email protected], +1.646.981.0685