Donald Trump has been added to the annual list of "press predators" compiled by the Paris-based organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The inclusion follows a pattern of attacks aimed at reducing journalism to mere political communication, alongside physical restrictions imposed on information professionals. In the 2026 edition published this Monday, Trump appears alongside leaders who have continued to use state apparatuses to muzzle media outlets in previous years, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and his wife Rosa Murillo, and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
RSF highlights that since the beginning of Trump's second term in January 2025, his attacks against the press have increasingly moved beyond rhetoric and public policy to include tangible physical restrictions on journalists. The organization notes that under the Republican head of state, the United States has dropped seven places in its press freedom ranking within a single year, now occupying the 64th position.
The list identifies various entities threatening journalist safety, including the Israeli military, the Chinese Communist Party, and Mexican cartels. RSF attributes to these groups the creation of a climate of terror in countries supposedly at peace, noting that nearly one journalist has been assassinated per month by organized crime so far this year. Other political figures on the list include Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is cited for the recent arrest of journalists from the verification portal Matsaddash and the closure of the reference media outlet Mada Masr.
On the economic front, RSF points to American tech giants Alphabet and Meta, as well as billionaires Vincent Bolloré and Bidzina Ivanichvili, for weakening independent media or pressuring editorial independence. The organization also reiterates the designation of Elon Musk as a predator for fostering disinformation through his social network X, spreading hatred against journalists, and obstructing freedom of information. Additionally, Argentine President Javier Milei is included for multiplying attacks on critical media since taking office in December 2023, regularly accusing them of corruption, lies, and political manipulation.
Several individuals were removed from the 2025 list as they are no longer at the forefront of such actions. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was removed following his death in a bombing during early operations of a war launched by the United States and Israel against the Islamic Republic on February 28. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was also excluded after being removed from office via a US military operation that led to his capture and imprisonment in New York. Former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic were similarly removed after losing power through elections.
Sources: Observador.