‘Freedom Cities’ Push on Public Land Gains Viability Under Trump

When Donald Trump called for carving “Freedom Cities” out of federal land, the idea got little notice as it was coming from a candidate prone to bold declarations who hadn’t yet secured the Republican nomination for president.

Two years later and two-plus months into Trump’s second presidency, supporters are discussing Freedom Cities on Capitol Hill and say the Interior Department’s recent push to privatize some public lands opens the window to make regulation-free federal enclaves a reality.

The end game is audacious: High-tech company towns free from state law and most federal rules—including the Internal Revenue Code, major environmental laws ...