Elon Musk resurfaced a 2019 tweet by then-Sen. Kamala Harris calling for former President Donald Trump’s Twitter account to be suspended, in light of her recent criticism of Jimmy Kimmel being pulled off the air. The move has sparked debate over consistency in free speech positions.
Musk posted Harris’s old tweet—“Look let’s be honest, @realDonaldTrump’s Twitter account should be suspended.” He did this shortly after Harris condemned the Trump administration for what she has called an abuse of power in Kimmel’s indefinite suspension from ABC.
Harris called the removal of Jimmy Kimmel Live! “an outright abuse of power,” accusing the administration of using fear and threats to silence critics. In response, many users on X (formerly Twitter) saw the resurfaced Harris tweet as evidence of what they perceive as hypocrisy—arguing that she once supported silencing Trump on social media while now decrying censorship.
The controversy touches on broader tensions about political speech, media censorship, and how social platforms moderate content. It raises questions about how public figures balance criticism of one kind of speech restriction while previously supporting restrictions of another.
