Trump’s war on comedy threatens free speech for all

For more than 20 years, comedians appearing in the New York Arab American Comedy Festival, which I co-produce — have been making jokes about American presidents. In fact, we were mocking then-President George W. Bush in the midst of the so-called “war on terror.”

Not once since our festival began in 2003 did any of the Arab American comedians fear that telling jokes about Bush — or any president — could come with a cost. Nor should it. Comedians telling jokes about politicians, including the president, are as American as apple pie and the whoopee cushion — that is, until this year’s festival.

We are now confronted with a war on comedy led by President Donald Trump and an administration that has, by design, created a climate of fear and self-censorship. Every autocrat begins by silencing