Chapter 115: Political Speech

427      Flanking him . . . gun-toting soldiers and police Víctor Peña and Carlos Barrera, “The Day the Commander-in-Chief Militarized the Legislative Assembly,” El Faro, February 10,” elfaro.net/es/202002/ef_foto/24005/El-d%C3%ADa-que-el-comandante-en-jefe-militariz%C3%B3-la-Asamblea-Legislativa.htm. For the scenic details mentioned in this chapter, see El Salvador 2020, “Histórico.!!! Feb. 9/20 Concentración del Pueblo en Asamblea. Discurso Completo Presidente Bukele,” YouTube, February 15, 2020, youtu.be/i3-8ZXqqH4g?si=ck8AbRzr2NIyvsPv, 41:00–51:35.

427      to a band playing “Marcha Granadera” Carlos Martínez, “‘Now I Think It’s Very Clear Who’s in Control of the Situation,’” El Faro, February 10, 2020, elfaro.net/es/202002/el_salvador/24006/“Ahora-creo-que-está-muy-claro-quién-tiene-el-control-de-la-situación”.htm.

427      customary when Bukele arrives at official functions “‘La Granadera’ is a ceremonial march used in Guatemala to honor the flag and also as a presidential march or an honor march for high-ranking officials. Over time, it was also adopted by the presidents of El Salvador.” Jhoel Díaz, “The Origins of El Salvador's Presidential March: ‘La Granadera,’” El Mundo, May 31, 2024, diario.elmundo.sv/escena/los-origenes-de-la-marcha-presidencial-de-el-salvador-la-granadera, via Google Translate.

427      where . . . normally sits Peña and Barrera, “The Day the Commander-in-Chief Militarized the Legislative Assembly,” elfaro.net/es/202002/ef_foto/24005/El-d%C3%ADa-que-el-comandante-en-jefe-militariz%C3%B3-la-Asamblea-Legislativa.htm; Martínez, “‘Now I Think It’s Very Clear Who’s in Control of the Situation,’” elfaro.net/es/202002/el_salvador/24006/“Ahora-creo-que-está-muy-claro-quién-tiene-el-control-de-la-situación”.htm.

427      “Welcome to this legislative chamber” Bukele quoted in Martínez, “‘Now I Think It’s Very Clear Who’s in Control of the Situation,’” elfaro.net/es/202002/el_salvador/24006/“Ahora-creo-que-está-muy-claro-quién-tiene-el-control-de-la-situación”.htm.

427      “We are going to begin the session” . .  .“in accordance” . . . “the constitution” . . . “the internal regulations . . .” Bukele quoted in Martínez, “‘Now I Think It’s Very Clear Who’s in Control of the Situation,” elfaro.net/es/202002/el_salvador/24006/“Ahora-creo-que-está-muy-claro-quién-tiene-el-control-de-la-situación”.htm.

427      “constitutional contempt” Bukele quoted in Martínez, “‘Now I Think It’s Very Clear Who’s in Control of the Situation,’” elfaro.net/es/202002/el_salvador/24006/“Ahora-creo-que-está-muy-claro-quién-tiene-el-control-de-la-situación”.htm. 

427      “Now I think it is very clear . . .” Bukele quoted in Martínez, “‘Now I Think It’s Very Clear Who’s in Control of the Situation,’” elfaro.net/es/202002/el_salvador/24006/“Ahora-creo-que-está-muy-claro-quién-tiene-el-control-de-la-situación”.htm.

427      “decision we are going to make now . . .” Bukele quoted in Martínez, “‘Now I Think It’s Very Clear Who’s in Control of the Situation,’” elfaro.net/es/202002/el_salvador/24006/“Ahora-creo-que-está-muy-claro-quién-tiene-el-control-de-la-situación”.htm. 

427      closes his eyes . . . prays in silence for two minutes. Only the sounds of. . . See El Salvador 2020, “Histórico.!!! Feb. 9/20 Concentración del Pueblo en Asamblea. Discurso Completo Presidente Bukele,” youtu.be/i3-8ZXqqH4g?si=ck8AbRzr2NIyvsPv, 46:05–48:06.

428      “as dictated by God” Isabel Rikkers and Noelle Brigden, “Christian Zionism in Bukele’s El Salvador,” North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA), October 9, 2024, nacla.org/christian-zionism-bukeles-el-salvador. 

428      “they became satanic” . . . “They started doing satanic rituals” Tucker Carlson, “President Nayib Bukele: Seeking God’s Wisdom, Taking Down MS-13, and His Advice to Donald Trump,” YouTube, June 5, 2024, youtu.be/U5n8R9lq8SI?si=i_6LaLTXtRkszfty, 12:33–12:37; and Rikkers and Brigden, “Christian Zionism in Bukele’s El Salvador,” nacla.org/christian-zionism-bukeles-el-salvador. 

428      “the good people” Bukele, X, October 8, 2023, 11:21 p.m., x.com/nayibbukele/status/1711220281820278875, archived at archive.today, December 3, 2025 capture, archive.ph/HxRl5; and Rikkers and Brigden, “Christian Zionism in Bukele’s El Salvador,” nacla.org/christian-zionism-bukeles-el-salvador. 

428      “between good and evil” Nayib Bukele, Facebook, May 2, 2022, 6:00 p.m., www.facebook.com/nayibbukele/posts/563948755089932, via Google Translate, archived at archive.today, June 27, 2023 capture, archive.ph/Yyb4t. 

428      “There is a spiritual war and there is a physical war” Tucker Carlson, “President Nayib Bukele: Seeking God’s Wisdom, Taking Down MS-13, and His Advice to Donald Trump,” youtu.be/U5n8R9lq8SI?si=i_6LaLTXtRkszfty, 15:45–15:48.

428      “If you win the spiritual war . . .”  Tucker Carlson, “President Nayib Bukele: Seeking God’s Wisdom, Taking Down MS-13, and His Advice to Donald Trump,” youtu.be/U5n8R9lq8SI?si=i_6LaLTXtRkszfty, 15:56–16:00.

428      5,000 supporters Martínez, “‘Now I Think It’s Very Clear Who’s in Control of the Situation,’” elfaro.net/es/202002/el_salvador/24006/“Ahora-creo-que-está-muy-claro-quién-tiene-el-control-de-la-situación”.htm. 

428      his trolls in the nearby house in San Salvador Sarah Kinosian, “Trolls, Propaganda and Fear Stoke Bukele’s Media Machine in El Salvador,” Reuters, November 29, 2022, www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/el-salvador-politics-media/. 

428      posted to Facebook . . . ban all Muslims from entering the United States Donald J. Trump, “Statement on Preventing Muslim Immigration,” Facebook, December 7, 2015, 5:33 p.m., www.facebook.com/DonaldTrump/posts/statement-on-preventing-muslim-immigration/10156386906600725, archived at archive.today, February 10, 2026 capture, archive.ph/Ca5Xf. 

428      identified the video as hate speech, a violation of . . .Elizabeth Dwoskin et al., “Zuckerberg Once Wanted to Sanction Trump. Then Facebook Wrote Rules That Accommodated Him,” Washington Post, June 28, 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/06/28/facebook-zuckerberg-trump-hate/. 

428      “a carveout for political speech” Dwoskin et al., “Zuckerberg Once Wanted to Sanction Trump. Then Facebook Wrote Rules That Accommodated Him,” www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/06/28/facebook-zuckerberg-trump-hate/. 

428      got the most engagement For studies on the ways right-wing and hateful social media posts drive engagement, see: Jordi Pérez Colomé, “‘Right-wing bias’: A Macro Study Confirms That Facebook Disinformation Is Consumed by Conservatives,” El País English, July 27, 2023, english.elpais.com/science-tech/2023-07-27/right-wing-bias-a-macro-study-confirms-that-facebook-disinformation-is-consumed-by-conservatives.html; and Sandra González-Bailón et al, “Asymmetric Ideological Segregation in Exposure to Political News on Facebook,” Science 381, no. 6656 (July 27, 2023), www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ade7138; Laura Edelsonet al., “Far-Right News Sources on Facebook More Engaging,” Medium, March 3, 2021, medium.com/cybersecurity-for-democracy/far-right-news-sources-on-facebook-more-engaging-e04a01efae90.   

428      ran ads when users searched for racist groups “Facebook Profits from White Supremacist Groups,” Tech Transparency Project, August 10, 2022, www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/facebook-profits-white-supremacist-groups. 

428      profited from searches for racist content “Facebook Profits from White Supremacist Groups,” www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/facebook-profits-white-supremacist-groups. 

428      “Facebook’s algorithmic tools” . . . “white supremacist pages to . . .” “Facebook Profits from White Supremacist Groups,” www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/facebook-profits-white-supremacist-groups. 

428      So too has Instagram, owned by Meta “Facebook Profits from White Supremacist Groups,” www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/facebook-profits-white-supremacist-groups”; and “Malgorithm: How Instagram’s Algorithm Publishes Misinformation and Hate to Millions During a Pandemic,” Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), March 9, 2021, counterhate.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/210309-Malgorithm-Report.pdf, 4.

428      So too has YouTube Muhammad Haroon et al., “Auditing YouTube’s Recommendation System for Ideologically Congenial, Extreme, and Problematic Recommendations,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) 120, no. 50 (December 5, 2023), doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2213020120. 

428      “moderate” . . . “encounter more right-leaning than . . .” Haroon et al, “Auditing YouTube’s Recommendation System for Ideologically Congenial, Extreme, and Problematic Recommendations,” doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2213020120. 

429      collected a sample of 1,030 videos . . . “that were used to . . .” Ciarán O’Connor, “Hatescape: An In-Depth Analysis of Extremism and Hate Speech on TikTok,” Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), 2021, www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/HateScape_v5.pdf, 2.

429      “by far the largest category of content” O’Connor, “Hatescape: An In-Depth Analysis of Extremism and Hate Speech on TikTok,” www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/HateScape_v5.pdf, 13.

429      “support for the Great Replacement and white genocide conspiracy theories” O’Connor, “Hatescape: An In-Depth Analysis of Extremism and Hate Speech on TikTok,” www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/HateScape_v5.pdf, 5


29        “that used thousands of inauthentic assets . . .” Sophie Zhang memo quoted in Craig Silverman et al., “‘I Have Blood on My Hands’: A Whistleblower Says Facebook Ignored Global Political Manipulation,” BuzzFeed News, September 14, 2020, www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/facebook-ignore-political-manipulation-whistleblower-memo. For more on Zhang and the information she provided about Facebook and foreign governments manipulating the platform for political goals, see Julia Carrie Wong, “How Facebook Let Fake Engagement Distort Global Politics: A Whistleblower’s Account,” The Guardian, April 12, 2021,  www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/apr/12/facebook-fake-engagement-whistleblower-sophie-zhang; and Eloise Barry, “Another Facebook Whistleblower Just Testified in British Parliament. Here’s What to Know About Her Allegations,” Time, October 18, 2021, time.com/6107835/sophie-zhang-facebook-testimony/. 

429      finally acted in July 2020 Silverman et al, “‘I Have Blood on My Hands’: A Whistleblower Says Facebook Ignored Global Political Manipulation,” www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/facebook-ignore-political-manipulation-whistleblower-memo.

429      two weeks after . . . emerged like weeds Silverman et al., “‘I Have Blood on My Hands’: A Whistleblower Says Facebook Ignored Global Political Manipulation.,” www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/facebook-ignore-political-manipulation-whistleblower-memo.

429      confirmed that the company . . . in the United States and Western Europe Silverman et al., “‘I Have Blood on My Hands’: A Whistleblower Says Facebook Ignored Global Political Manipulation,” www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/facebook-ignore-political-manipulation-whistleblower-memo.

429      criminalized, jailed, and reportedly disappeared critics Jeff Abbott, “The Other Americans: Honduran Election Bucks Authoritarianism,” The Progressive, November 30, 2021, progressive.org/latest/honduran-election-bucks-authoritarianism-abbott-211130/; Jared Olson, “Hondurans Cheer a Rare Win over Their Corrupt Politicians, Far from Home,” Al Jazeera, March 11, 2024, www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/11/hondurans-cheer-a-rare-win-over-their-corrupt-politicians-far-from-home; and “Honduras: Indigenous Human Rights Activists Missing,” Amnesty International, July 23, 2020, www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr37/2780/2020/en. 

429      used . . . as an excuse to bolster the authoritarian power . . . “The outgoing congress also voted to enshrine Honduras’s military police in the constitution. The MP program, created in September 2013 and featured prominently in Hernández’s “law and order” campaign ads, puts thousands of soldiers on the streets. Although their alleged purpose is to crack down on gang activity, MP units have already raided the home of a prominent resistance activist, and human rights defenders and activists fear that efforts to criminalize and repress Honduras’s social movements will only grow.” Alexander Main, “Honduras: The Deep Roots of Resistance,” Dissent Magazine (Spring 2014), www.dissentmagazine.org/article/honduras-the-deep-roots-of-resistance/. “In his first term, he controversially deployed the military to the streets under the pretext of fighting gangs, part of a militarized, iron-fist security policy Hernández touted as having reduced violence. In fact, an apparent drop in the murder rate had more to do with a cynical change in how homicides were registered, while harsh crackdowns also meant the police and military became as feared and distrusted as the gangs.” Jared Olson, “What Happens After a U.S.-Enabled Narco-Dictatorship Ends?” New Republic, December 2, 2021, newrepublic.com/article/164589/honduras-election-juan-orlando-hernandez. 

429      allowed him to run . . . despite a constitutional ban “Honduras elections: Security Key Issue as Hernández Runs Again,” BBC News, November 24, 2017, www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-42080257. 

429      claimed victory that year in an election marred by fraud Abbott, “The Other Americans: Honduran Election Bucks Authoritarianism,” progressive.org/latest/honduran-election-bucks-authoritarianism-abbott-211130/.

429      his Facebook troll farm, which Zhang discovered Silverman et al. “‘I Have Blood on My Hands’: A Whistleblower Says Facebook Ignored Global Political Manipulation,” www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/facebook-ignore-political-manipulation-whistleblower-memo.

429      after Honduran Women’s Day . . . existing prohibition of abortion and same-sex marriage Suyapa Portillo, “In Honduras, the Right Is Permanently Locking In Its Abortion Ban,” Jacobin, March 1, 2023, jacobin.com/2021/03/honduras-abortion-ban-constitutional-amendment.   

429–430  both signed asylum agreements with the United States . . . Colleen Long, Associated Press, and Elliot Spagat, Associated Press, “U.S. Signs Asylum Agreement with Honduras,” PBS, September 25, 2019, www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/u-s-signs-asylum-agreement-with-honduras; and Colleen Long, Associated Press, and Astrid Galvan, Associated Press, “Watch: U.S. and El Salvador Sign Asylum Deal,” PBS News, September 20, 2019, www.pbs.org/newshour/world/u-s-and-el-salvador-expected-to-sign-asylum-deal. 

430      “drug trafficking, gangs . . .” . . . “creates forced and . . .” Juan Orlando Hernández quoted in Long and Spagat, “U.S. Signs Asylum Agreement with Honduras,” www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/u-s-signs-asylum-agreement-with-honduras.

430      sentenced to forty-five years in a U.S. prison Colin Moynihan, “Former President of Honduras Sentenced to 45 Years in Sweeping Drug Case,” New York Times, June 26, 2024, www.nytimes.com/2024/06/26/nyregion/honduras-juan-olando-hernando-sentenced-drug-case.html.

430      had received millions . . . in exchange for protecting them from prosecution Luc Cohen, “Ex-Honduras President Bribed by Prominent Family, U.S. prosecutors say,” Reuters, February 10, 2023, www.reuters.com/world/americas/ex-honduras-president-bribed-by-prominent-family-us-prosecutors-say-2023-02-10/. 

430      announced a pardon Donald J. Trump, Truth Social, November 28, 2025, 4:18 p.m., truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115629406693931908, archived at Wayback Machine, February 5, 2026 capture, web.archive.org/web/20260205085745/http://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115629406693931908. 

430      “deprioritized content moderation” Nora Benavidez, “Big Tech Backslide: How Social-Media Rollbacks Endanger Democracy Ahead of the 2024 Elections,” Free Press, December 2023, www.freepress.net/sites/default/files/2023-12/free_press_report_big_tech_backslide.pdf, 3.

430      stricter platforms . . . moderated out . . . after the 2016 and 2020 U.S. elections Yini Zhang et al., “Trump, Twitter, and Truth Social: How Trump Used Both Mainstream and Alt-Tech Social Media to Drive News Media Attention,” Journal of Information Technology & Politics 22, no. 5 (March 2024), doi.org/10.1080/19331681.2024.2328156, 1.

430      left or were forced to leave Zhang et al., “Trump, Twitter, and Truth Social,” doi.org/10.1080/19331681.2024.2328156, 1.

430      gravitated to wholly unmoderated platforms such as . . . Zhang et al., “Trump, Twitter, and Truth Social,” doi.org/10.1080/19331681.2024.2328156, 1; Megan Butler, “Alternative Social Media Sites Seen as Haven for Right-Wing Users,” Courthouse News Service, October 6, 2022, www.courthousenews.com/alternative-social-media-sites-seen-as-haven-for-right-wing-users/; “Russia’s Zuckerberg Launches Telegram, a New Instant Messenger Service,” Reuters, August 30, 2013, www.reuters.com/article/idUS74722569420130830/; Shreenita Ghosh and Galen Stocking, “Key Facts About Rumble,” Pew Research Center, December 21, 2022, www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/12/21/key-facts-about-rumble/; Emily Tomasik and Galen Stocking, “Key facts about BitChute,” Pew Research Center, February 17, 2023, www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/02/17/key-facts-about-bitchute/; Carrie Blazina and Galen Stocking, “Key facts about Parler,” Pew Research Center, October 20, 2022, www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/10/20/fast-facts-about-parler-as-kanye-west-reportedly-plans-acquisition-of-site/; Sarah Naseer and Galen Stocking, “Key facts about Gettr,” Pew Research Center, February 1, 2023, www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/02/01/key-facts-about-gettr/.   

430      banned Trump from their platforms Melina Delkic, “Trump’s Banishment from Facebook and Twitter: A Timeline,” New York Times, May 10, 2022, last updated May 13, 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/05/10/technology/trump-social-media-ban-timeline.html; and “What We Know About Truth Social, Donald Trump’s Social Media Platform,” Associated Press (AP) News, March 27, 2024, apnews.com/article/truth-social-donald-trump-djt-ipo-digital-world-7437d5dcc491a1459a078195ae547987. 

430      launched his own social media platform “What We Know About Truth Social, Donald Trump’s Social Media Platform,” apnews.com/article/truth-social-donald-trump-djt-ipo-digital-world-7437d5dcc491a1459a078195ae547987. 

430      started exclusively posting on his new “Truth Social” “As a part of the Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) ‘Social Media Exclusivity Term,’” Trump “agreed to wait six hours before posting the same content from Truth Social on any other sites, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission filing.” But Trump was allowed “to make posts from his personal account related to ‘political messaging, political fundraising or get-out-the vote efforts’ at ‘any time’ on any social media site.” Madeline Halpert, “Trump Agrees to Post on Truth Social Before Any Other Sites—With Some Caveats,” Forbes, March 16, 2022, www.forbes.com/sites/madelinehalpert/2022/05/16/trump-agrees-to-post-on-truth-social-before-any-other-sites-with-some-caveats/. Trump returned to Facebook on March 17, 2023, and X (formerly Twitter) on August 24, 2023. Donald J. Trump, “I’M BACK!” Facebook, March 17, 2023, www.facebook.com/DonaldTrump/videos/im-back/735182501447195/; “Trump Returns to Facebook,” Reuters, March 17, 2023, www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-returns-facebook-2023-03-17/; Donald J. Trump, X, August 24, 2023, 9:38 p.m., x.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1694886846050771321; and Helen Coster and Sheila Dang, “Trump Returns to X, Formerly Twitter, with Mug Shot and Appeal for Donations,” Reuters, August 25, 2023, www.reuters.com/technology/trump-returns-social-media-site-x-formerly-twitter-with-mug-shot-post-2023-08-25/. 

430      launched in February 2022 Nell Clark, “Trump’s Social Media Site Hits the App Store a Year After He Was Banned from Twitter,” NPR, February 22, 2022, www.npr.org/2022/02/22/1082243094/trumps-social-media-app-launches-year-after-twitter-ban. 

430      purchased . . . social media platform Kate Conger and Lauren Hirsch, “Elon Musk Completes $44 Billion Deal to Own Twitter,” New York Times, October 27, 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/10/27/technology/elon-musk-twitter-deal-complete.html.