Trump’s US is at the ‘arresting journalists’ stage of fascism

The US has arrested the journalist Don Lemon. As people are highlighting, it’s a worrying sign the Trump regime will continue lurching right until something stops it:

Don Lemon speaks outside of the courtroom after release: "I have spent my entire life covering the news. I will not stop now … I will not be silenced." pic.twitter.com/zgXKXlDQwC

— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) January 30, 2026

Trump’s crackdown

The former CNN anchor was arrested after covering an anti-ICE protest in Minnesota:

"We're not with the activists we're just reporting on them."

This is from Don Lemon's reporting at the St. Paul church. Arresting journalists for simply highlighting what's happening in this country is a gross violation of our First Amendment rights.

He must be released… pic.twitter.com/4I3sKYtuw4

— Senator Patty Murray (@PattyMurray) January 30, 2026

‘ICE’ is the acronym of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. While the agency exists to enforce immigration laws, Trump has used ICE to sow terror and division in US cities. As we’ve extensively covered, this has seen ICE agents publicly murder two individuals this month alone — Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti.

Obviously, the murder of these people is worse than what’s happened to Lemon. At the same time, the arrest should be seen as a continuation of the state-sanctioned oppression of the Trump regime.

They want people scared.

They want people silent.

They want people ignorant.

And Lemon is not the only journalist to face arrest:

These are the four journalists arrested by Trump’s fascist DOJ….Georgia Fort, Jamael Lydell Lundy, Don Lemon and Trahern Jeen Crews….probably just a coincidence that they’re all Black, right? pic.twitter.com/qFHLQRERfV

— Wu Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids) January 30, 2026

Independent journalist Georgia Fort was, like Don Lemon, arrested for doing her job: documenting a protest of public concern. When members of the press are taken into custody simply for filming and reporting, it sends a chilling message to every journalist in America. The First… pic.twitter.com/nmFF0pp5b2

— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) January 30, 2026

Politician Bernie Sanders and actor Jane Fonda have spoken out on Lemon’s behalf:

ICE is occupying communities and shooting Americans.

Now, former CNN anchor Don Lemon has been arrested for covering what ICE is doing.

Arresting journalists is what happens in tin-pot dictatorships.

We must fight back against authoritarianism.

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) January 30, 2026

JANE FONDA: “I know Don Lemon. My husband created CNN. And I will fight for their right to speak… they arrested the wrong Don. This is how autocrats act. We can’t fall for it.” pic.twitter.com/EWwe3WuVXf

— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) January 31, 2026

A Distraction?

Many, many people have suggested that pretty much everything happening right now is a distraction from the Epstein Files:

Trump arrested Don Lemon today to distract from the Epstein file release

Stay focused everybody pic.twitter.com/J8Jrdl72OS

— WTFGOP (@doggintrump) January 30, 2026

Don Lemon was arrested before any of the Epstein child rapists.

— Secular Talk ([email protected]) (@KyleKulinski) January 30, 2026

The problem with the ‘distraction’ narrative is that it ignores the dedicated zealots surrounding Trump:

If you've never heard a speech by Hitler's Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels, this speech by Stephen Miller was plagiarized from JG's 1932 speech, "The Storm Is Coming." And these fascist freaks wonder why the democratic free world sees them as Nazis. pic.twitter.com/uTQ5OdDzQ0

— Bill Madden (@maddenifico) September 24, 2025

To these people, the distraction is the Epstein Files; the mission is the crackdown on civil liberties.

Featured image via USA Today