Who really supports free speech?

And who is just using it as a political cudgel?

A central premise of Donald Trump's candidacy is that he and his Republican allies are champions of free speech. In a 2022 video, Trump claimed that "a sinister group of Deep State bureaucrats, Silicon Valley tyrants, left-wing activists, and depraved corporate news media have been conspiring to manipulate and silence the American People." In nearly every campaign rally, Trump pledged to "restore free speech." 

This mantra was echoed by Trump's top supporters, including Elon Musk: 

Trump and his supporters seemed most upset about a brief effort by Twitter and other social media platforms to prevent the spread of stories based on the content of Hunter Biden's laptop. This effort, which was always futile, was quickly abandoned. The original story in the New York Post spread widely on social media before the 2020 election. 

The week the New York Post story was published, it was the dominant story on social media. The second biggest story, ironically, was social media companies' "censorship" of the story.

The "deep state" did not "censor" the Hunter Biden story. 

In the video, Trump also claimed that a left-wing cabal censored "vital information on… public health." During the Biden administration, public health officials encouraged social media platforms to limit the spread of inaccurate information about COVID-19. Social media companies could accept or ignore these recommendations. But misinformation about COVID-19 spread widely. The conservative Supreme Court threw out a lawsuit challenging the government's conduct. 

For actual examples of government censorship, consider what is happening right now in a state that has embraced MAGA-style politics: Florida. 

Florida's book censorship regime 

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) has imposed a book censorship regime on Florida's public schools for several years. This effort intensified after the passage of HB 1069 in 2023, which allows parents to demand the immediate removal of any book that "[d]epicts or describes sexual conduct," whether or not the book is pornographic. 

It does not appear that the DeSantis administration is eager to publicize the results of their work to remove books from school libraries. Each year, every Florida school district must report to the state the books removed from school libraries. The Florida Department of Education quietly released the report for the 2023-24 school year this past weekend. The document has not been covered in any media outlet. 

The book removal list shows that the DeSantis administration is facilitating the removal of classic works of literature in counties across the state. For example, Clay County reports that, during the 2023-24 school year, it removed 284 books. The books no longer available to students include:

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou 

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut 

A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck 

Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

Sophie's Choice by William Styron 

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry 

These books are not pornography. They are award-winning works of literature. Some have mature themes, but they are not inappropriate for high school students. One could think of worse things for a high school student to do than grapple with a complex and well-written novel. 

Further, any Florida parent who does not want their child to have access to Slaughterhouse-Five or other books has the right to restrict their child's access to the school library system. In practice, as the Florida Freedom to Read Project has documented, few parents choose to restrict their children's access to school libraries. This is an effort by the DeSantis administration and a few right-wing parents to make decisions for everyone. 

Many of the books in Clay County were challenged by one man, Bruce Friedman. (Popular Information interviewed Friedman in 2022.)

How to ban 3600 books from school libraries

Remarkably, the report from Florida understates the number of books removed from the shelves in Clay County and other school districts. The state only included books that have been permanently removed. But HB 1069 mandates the immediate and indefinite removal of any book challenged for "sexual content" within five days. Any book where a school district had removed a book from the shelves but not made a final determination was excluded from the state report. 

In the 1982 case of Island Trees School District v. Pico, the Supreme Court found that students have First Amendment rights. Specifically, the scope of the school board's power over school libraries is limited by the First Amendment. Citing previous Supreme Court decisions, the plurality opinion in Pico notes that “students must always remain free to inquire, to study and to evaluate" and the "school library is the principal locus of such freedom." As a result, it is unconstitutional for school boards to remove books from a school library in a "narrowly partisan or political manner.’”

In August, Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster sued Florida, arguing that HB 1069 is unconstitutional. “As publishers dedicated to protecting freedom of expression and the right to read, the rise in book bans across the country continues to demand our collective action. Fighting unconstitutional legislation in Florida and across the country is an urgent priority," the publishers said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. "We are unwavering in our support for educators, librarians, students, authors, readers—everyone deserves access to books and stories that show different perspectives and viewpoints.” The publishers were joined in their lawsuit by prominent authors, including John Green and Jodi Picoult, two Florida parents, and two Florida students. 

You will not hear Republicans, however, discussing the attacks on freedom of speech in Florida. Instead, they continue to focus on news reports about Hunter Biden, which were never censored by the government and were read by millions of people. It suggests their concern is less about defending freedom of speech — a worthy pursuit — and more about using the topic as a political cudgel.