On September 14, US President Donald Trump shared a video calling for a new law, according to which media outlets, content creators and social networks must bear financial responsibility for providing false information or baseless accusations.
The original video was posted by a TikTok user named Elly May, then shared by Mr. Trump on Truth Social. In the clip, Elly May called on the Trump administration to restore the S Smith-Mundt Act and rename it the Charlie Kirk act in memory of the conservative activist who was assassinated last week.
Elly May accused the media of spreading caususation, hate, division and apartheid across the United States, and linked Charlie Kirks death to the wave of hate attacks he suffered online and in the press.
In fact, the Smith-Mundt Act was passed during the Cold War to prevent the US from spreading foreign propaganda back domestically. The law has never been abolished under President Barack Obama, and is not related to holding the press legally responsible for domestic mis readings.
Mr Trump did not directly comment on this proposal in the video he shared.
However, a petition with similar content on Change.org attracted nearly 43,000 signatures in just one day, calling on President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance to impose heavy penalties on media, content creators and social media accused of spreading false information or unfair censorship.
Charlie Kirk, 31, founder of conservative organization Turning Point USA, was assassinated while speaking in front of a student in Utah state. Governor Utah Spencer Cox said the suspect was arrested with an extreme left-wing mindset.
After the incident, President Trump pledged not only to prosecute the murderer but also to scanning the far-left networks that he was accused of assisting in political violence.
