These so-called Twitter Files were proof of “free speech suppression,” the billionaire claimed. But for supporters, the details are less important than the narrative: another battle in Musk’s grand war to protect and enable “free speech” — seemingly everywhere and anywhere. Before Musk, Twitter wisely began labeling and then removing tweets that disseminated false information about the pandemic. But it feels like Musk’s actions as head of Twitter are incorrectly being blended with his statements on free speech. Musk’s self-proclaimed defenses of free speech sound good — most Americans remain, rightly, committed to this fundamental tenet of constitutional freedom.

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