For decades, we have fought to defend the First Amendment from government overreach. Now Attorney General Pam Bondi — a top Trump appointee — is threatening that legacy by pushing a dangerous narrative: that “hate speech” should be criminalized.

On a recent podcast, Bondi claimed, “There’s free speech and then there’s hate speech” — suggesting the Justice Department will begin targeting speech it deems unacceptable. That’s not just misguided — it’s un-American.

Let’s be clear: there is no legal category called “hate speech” in the U.S. Constitution. The First Amendment protects offensive, controversial, and even downright ugly speech — because once the government decides what’s “hateful,” all speech becomes vulnerable to censorship.

After intense backlash from conservative voices, Bondi attempted to walk back her remarks, saying she only meant speech “that leads to violence.” But that’s a sleight of hand.

We call on Attorney General Pam Bondi to publicly retract her remarks, commit to protecting the full scope of the First Amendment, and be held accountable for promoting a speech-policing agenda.

If Bondi can’t defend the Constitution, she shouldn’t be in charge of enforcing it.