Your support helps us to tell the story

       Read more

       Support Now

       From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

       At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

       The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

       Your support makes all the difference.

       Read more

       Donald Trump has shared a video calling for the president to reinstate a Cold War-era media “accountability” law in response to the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, with a petition calling for its revival gathering more than 5,000 signatures within 13 hours.

       Following the 31-year-old Kirk’s killing at Utah Valley University and the arrest of 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, TikTok user Ellie May called for the president to reintroduce the Smith？Mundt Act, a U.S. law once intended to prevent domestic dissemination of U.S.-backed foreign media, and to give it a new name: the “Charlie Kirk Act.”

       May’s video went viral and was shared on the president’s Truth Social account.

       In her video, May accused media outlets of “spreading propaganda” and conspiracy theories that spread rapidly across social media platforms.

       AI？generated images and false claims misidentifying the suspect were among the content circulated, some of which gained additional reach via Grok, X’s AI chatbot. It reportedly acknowledged errors only after several false posts had already gone viral.

       open image in gallery

       MAGA supporter Ellie May is calling on President Donald Trump to reinstate the Cold War-era Smith？Mundt Act after Charlie Kirk's death(Getty Images/TikTok/@official_elly_may)

       Recommended

       Charlie Kirk’s widow vows ‘I will never let your legacy die’ after suspect Tyler Robinson arrested: Live updatesOffice Depot says worker who refused to print Charlie Kirk poster has been firedOxford Union’s incoming president to face disciplinary proceedings, society says

       “I think the only way to bring forward decent change in this country is to start speaking up,” May told The Independent in a direct message on X.

       “We had one Charlie Kirk before he passed since his death,” May added. “We have seen more people who have never put their faces in front of a camera start speaking truth to power. I think this is, not to play words on his organization, a turning point in our country.”

       Changing the law would require an act of Congress.

       In her TikTok video, where she largely reads from the Change.org petition she created, May, who told The Independent she only began engaging in elections in 2016, when she became eligible to vote, claims that media outlets frequently label individuals as “fascists,” “Nazis,” “white supremacists,” or “bigots” without evidence, fueling public hostility.

       She argued that accountability should extend beyond traditional news outlets to include content creators who disseminate propaganda and half？truths online.

       “Each violation should be subject to a fine amounting to at least 35 percent of the company's value,” May read from the online proposal she wrote. “Baseless accusations, such as labeling individuals as bigots, fascists, or racist, without verifiable proof, tarnish reputations and endanger lives. Such acts should not be tolerated and must invite strict accountability measures.”

       Her petition, which has 5,000 signatures in less than a day since its launch, also includes the proposal of “stringent penalties for social media companies that censor information unfairly.”

       “Each violation should be subject to a fine amounting to at least 35 percent of the company's value,” May wrote. “Baseless accusations, such as labeling individuals as bigots, fascists, or racist, without verifiable proof, tarnish reputations and endanger lives. Such acts should not be tolerated and must invite strict accountability measures.”

       May told The Independent that the response to her petition has been “a lot more digestible” than she expected.

       “Each time I check, it’s going up by about 100 signatures, so I feel like this could become a pivotal moment in American history,” she said. “If I were to ratio it percentage-wise, it’s about a 70-30, and the 70 percent are behind it.”

       May called on Trump in her video to restore the Smith？Mundt Act, which she falsely claimed was abolished in 2013 by then-President Barack Obama and then-Vice President Joe Biden, and to rename it in Kirk’s honor.

       open image in gallery

       May’s proposal also includes severe penalties for social media companies that engage in censorship or allow unverified defamatory labels(Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

       Obama did not abolish the Smith-Mundt Act. Instead, his administration oversaw the passage of the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act of 2012, which amended parts of the original law.

       Nothing in that bill applies to what private media organizations in the can or cannot publish.

       The original 1948 act created a ban on the domestic dissemination of informational materials produced by the U.S. government intended for foreign audiences, like those from the Voice of America.

       The amendment, becoming effective on July 2, 2013, lifted the decades-old ban, so Americans can access content from the U.S. Agency for Global Media and the media organizations that it supports.

       May also posted a follow-up video to X on Saturday addressing backlash she received for allegedly promoting media “censorship,” captioning the post, “Do not put words in my mouth that I didn’t say.”

       “So here’s what we're not going to do: We're not going to conflate what I said with your feelings,” May said. “I'm not calling for censorship, I'm calling for media organizations to be held accountable for the ignorant s**t that they say.”

       May criticized viral claims suggesting Robinson was a MAGA-aligned, ultra-conservative Republican, as well as proliferation of AI-doctored photos related to Robinson’s political views, including altered images of the shooter in MAGA apparel and allegedly fabricated screenshots showing donations to pro-Trump causes, which May insisted are entirely fake.

       “That photo does not f***ing exist,” she said.

       open image in gallery

       Kirk’s alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, 22, is being held without bail at the Utah County Jail

       Erika Kirk, Charlie’s widow, vowed Friday to continue his legacy by advancing the right-wing movement he founded in an emotional tribute from Phoenix, Arizona.

       As she addressed supporters, Erika, who is also the mother of their two young children, promised to grow Turning Point USA, the conservative youth organization her husband started, into “the biggest thing this nation has ever seen.”

       Robinson is being held without bail at the Utah County Jail. He is expected to be formally charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, and obstruction of justice.

       Aggravated murder is a capital felony under Utah law, which means if convicted, Robinson could face the death penalty.