Elon Musk, the owner of X, has dug up a damning piece of history from Kamala Harris’s past, spotlighting her 2019 call to suspend Donald Trump’s Twitter account while she now cries foul over free speech in the Jimmy Kimmel saga.

According to The New York Post, Musk resurfaced Harris’s old tweet on Friday with a thinking face emoji, subtly pointing out the irony as she defends Kimmel’s indefinite suspension from ABC’s late-night lineup. The contrast between her past and present stances has ignited a firestorm on the platform.

Harris, back when she was a California senator and vice presidential hopeful, didn’t mince words in 2019, declaring, “Look let’s be honest, @realDonaldTrump’s Twitter account should be suspended.” Now, as she rails against what she calls an “outright abuse of power” in Kimmel’s case, one has to wonder if her principles shift with the political winds.

From Free Speech Advocate to Censor?

Fast forward to today, Harris is singing a different tune, decrying the Trump administration’s alleged role in pulling “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” off the air as a “frontal assault on free speech.” Her words ring hollow when stacked against her earlier push to silence a sitting president on social media.

Kimmel’s suspension came after he accused conservatives of distorting the narrative around Tyler Robinson, charged with assassinating Charlie Kirk, by denying the shooter’s left-wing ties despite prosecutors’ confirmation. Harris jumped to Kimmel’s defense, insisting “we, the people, deserve better,” but her track record suggests selective outrage.

The hypocrisy isn’t lost on X users, nor on Musk, who seems to relish exposing the double standard. If free speech is sacred now, why was it so disposable when Trump’s voice was on the chopping block?

Kimmel’s Remarks and the FCC Fallout

Kimmel’s comments, claiming the “MAGA gang” was desperate to mischaracterize Robinson’s motives, sparked immediate backlash and led to ABC’s decision to sideline his show indefinitely. Questions swirl about whether the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) played a role in pressuring the network or its affiliates.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, speaking on Sean Hannity’s show on September 17, defended the move, arguing that local stations like Nexstar and Sinclair were right to drop the program to “serve the interests of their community.” He lamented that the FCC had long abandoned enforcing such public interest obligations, to the nation’s detriment.

Sen. Ted Cruz, from Texas, also weighed in on his podcast, bluntly stating, “Jimmy Kimmel was lying,” and warning that setting this precedent could backfire on conservatives. Yet, the core issue remains: should unelected bureaucrats or corporate executives decide who gets a platform?

White House Denials and Past Censorship

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back on Saturday, telling Fox News that the decision to “fire Jimmy Kimmel and cancel his show” came solely from ABC executives, not from any presidential directive. She emphasized there was “no pressure” from the administration, aiming to quash rumors of direct interference.

Still, the Biden-Harris administration’s history with censorship doesn’t inspire confidence, especially after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted in August 2024 to House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan that the White House had pressured Facebook to suppress content during the COVID-19 crisis. That revelation, tied to documented interactions, casts a long shadow over claims of innocence now.

Harris herself has been part of an administration that’s “flagged problematic posts” for removal, as former press secretary Jen Psaki admitted in 2021. If they’ve meddled before, why should anyone take their word at face value in this dust-up?

A Principle Worth Defending or Just Politics?

In the end, this isn’t just about Kimmel or even Harris’s flip-flop on free expression; it’s about whether power, whether wielded by government or corporations, should trump open discourse. Harris’s indignation today feels like a convenient pivot from her 2019 stance, and Musk’s pointed reminder ensures that the contradiction won’t go unnoticed.

The broader fight is for a society where no one’s voice, whether Trump’s or Kimmel’s, gets silenced by fiat or fear. If we let political expediency dictate who speaks, we’re all on a slippery slope, no matter who’s in the crosshairs.

Maybe it’s time for Harris to clarify if free speech is a universal right or just a talking point when it suits her. Until then, Musk’s emoji says more than words ever could, leaving her past to haunt her present.