Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hailed Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter on Monday as a victory for free speech and a blow to “legacy” media outlets such as CNN and NBC.
DeSantis argued that social-media platforms were originally hatched as forums for open dialogue but have since become free-speech suppressants.
“They were used to go around a lot of those failed legacy media outlets like NBC and CNN that no one trusts anymore,” the Sunshine State gov said an unrelated press conference Monday. “It seems like over the last five or six years, these big tech companies, including Twitter, have gone from open platforms to being enforcers of the narrative.”
He contended that those who veer from prescribed perspectives have been “silenced” by Twitter of late — and that any critics of Musk’s takeover simply fear free speech.
DeSantis said he is optimistic that the new ownership will take the site in a different direction.
“My hope is that with Elon Musk taking this private, he’s going to open it up and let people be able to speak,” the governor said.
Twitter’s board of directors accepted Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s $44 billion offer to buy the company. ZUMAPRESS.com
Many people believe Musk will loosen up on Twitter’s restrictive speech. Yichuan Cao/Sipa USADeSantis announced last week that Florida’s $200 billion in pension holdings includes Twitter stock and that he planned to take action against the board of directors if it turned down Musk’s offer on veiled political grounds.
Meanwhile, DeSantis fended off criticism Monday of his successful push to strip Disney of its special tax district last week.
Some observers argue that reversing Disney’s largely self-governing status would saddle local Floridians with the company’s debt and additional taxes.
While he did not offer specifics, DeSantis said Monday that the new arrangement will compel the company to pay additional taxes and address its accumulated debts.
