Marco Drops the Gloves! State Department Sanctions European Leaders Who Censor Free Speech – Twitchy

When it comes to free speech, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is done playing with European censors. 

The EU has tried to punish Elon Musk for the free speech that is (mostly) allowed on his X platform, as well as censor other American speakers. In response, yesterday, Rubio dropped the gloves and the hammer on them with unprecedented sanctions against at least five European leaders. 

For far too long, ideologues in Europe have led organized efforts to coerce American platforms to punish American viewpoints they oppose. The Trump Administration will no longer tolerate these egregious acts of extraterritorial censorship.

Today, @StateDept will take steps to…

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) December 23, 2025

… bar leading figures of the global censorship-industrial complex from entering the United States. We stand ready and willing to expand this list if others do not reverse course.

Rubio did not specify who the individuals were, nor did the State Department order, but EU Commissioner Thierry Breton was definitely one of them. 

🚨 BREAKING: The Trump admin has just BANNED former EU Commissioner Thierry Breton, who abused his power and THREATENED @ElonMusk for hosting an interview on 𝕏 with Trump in 2024, from the U.S.

RUBIO: “For far too long, ideologues in Europe have led organized efforts to coerce… pic.twitter.com/YhUpCH4Qpz

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) December 23, 2025

In the rest of this tweet, Sortor indicated that another of the sanctioned leaders colluded with American Democrats to censor speech: 

Others were banned too, including Imran Ahmed, who worked with Democrats in America like Amy Klobuchar to ‘kiII Musk’s Twitter.’

The Britain-based Ahmed is the CEO of the terrifyingly titled ‘Center for Countering Digital Hate.’

If that name isn’t the most Orwellian thing ever, we don’t know what is. 

Just The News explained what these sanctions mean for those named: 

Rubio said he determined that the five individuals’ ‘entry, presence or activities’ in the country could have serious foreign policy consequences for the U.S. and is thereby imposing visa restrictions on ‘agents of the global censorship-industrial complex,’ who will be barred from entering the United States. 

Undersecretary of State Sarah Rogers elaborated further:

These sanctions are visa-related. We aren’t invoking severe Magnitsky-style financial measures, but our message is clear: if you spend your career fomenting censorship of American speech, you’re unwelcome on American soil. https://t.co/CYvR1HFnhR

— Under Secretary of State Sarah B. Rogers (@UnderSecPD) December 23, 2025

BOOM! 

Looks like Breton, Ahmed, and at least a few others will have to watch the World Cup and the Olympics on their tellies. (And you just KNOW they wanted to come to America for those events).  

More people need to be banned as well. 

Will @Keir_Starmer be put on that list?

— Leftism (@LeftismForU) December 23, 2025

Does that include @AlboMP?

— Megagem 💎 (@MAGAGEM1) December 23, 2025

Make sure Jeremy Godfrey, head of the Irish Media Commission, is top of the list. pic.twitter.com/yBrs9kQCei

— MichaeloKeeffe (@MickOKeeffe) December 23, 2025

The rogue’s gallery of European censors (and Australia’s Anthony Albonese, noted above) is endless. Sanction all of them.

These European Censorious Bastards can now NEVER ENTER the UNITED STATES.
THIS is WHAT I VOTED FOR 👇👇 https://t.co/GPjI7Hsyyf

— Rob Schneider 🇺🇸 (@RobSchneider) December 24, 2025

What a refreshing (and critically needed) change from the Biden administration, which, as a reminder, wanted the US to be just as censorious, regardless of that pesky First Amendment. 

For justice, irony, and pure lulz make Weird Nina the first one sanctioned please pic.twitter.com/FSJimuDJB6

— Virginia Project (@ProjectVirginia) December 23, 2025

Who can forget Jankowicz, the cringe theater kid turned Minister of Truth? 

 Rubio’s order was greeted with cheers by everyone who believes in unfettered free expression. 

Bravo!

— Michael Shellenberger (@shellenberger) December 23, 2025

🔥🔥🔥

— Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) December 23, 2025

LFG 🔥🔥

— Katie Miller (@KatieMiller) December 23, 2025

LFG, indeed. Playtime is over. 

Excellent news.

As I said in my letter to the State Department on this topic last week, these foreign bureaucrats and NGOs are subversive threats to the homeland. This is long overdue.

Thank you, @SecRubio. This is what America First looks like. https://t.co/tTO6ZWXC6p

— Senator Eric Schmitt (@SenEricSchmitt) December 23, 2025

Western values matter.

If European actors undermine them, America will provide the consequences. https://t.co/YPYdQii3lQ

— Sebastian Gorka DrG (@SebGorka) December 24, 2025

It turns out that the rules of FAFO are the same for Europe as they are everywhere else. 

Dear Eurotrash: Enough of your bulls***. https://t.co/TWOCQFn69V

— Varad Mehta (@varadmehta) December 24, 2025

As the top diplomat in the United States, Rubio’s language is a little more measured than that. 

But yeah. 

That was pretty much his message to Europeans who want to silence anyone and everyone who disagrees with them. 

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Editor’s Note: Here at Twitchy, we’ve been dealing with real government suppression of free speech for YEARS. Despite the threats and consequences, we refuse to go silent and remain committed to delivering the truth.

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