It sounds like great news, right? Mark Zuckerberg is finally embracing free speech! In a video statement on Tuesday, he proudly declared, “It’s time to get back to our roots around free expression.” He spoke about how progressives have been trying to “shut down opinions and different ideas,” and promised to end restrictions on topics like immigration and gender. Oh, and he also vowed to fire “politically biased” fact-checkers. It was a bold statement—one that sounded like Zuckerberg was about to restore true free speech on Facebook.
For many conservatives, this announcement might feel like the victory they’ve been waiting for—thinking that the days of “woke” censorship are finally behind us. But here’s the twist: we should probably thank Donald Trump, not Zuckerberg, for this sudden shift.
Love him or hate him, Trump’s influence seems to be the real reason for this change. Let’s not forget, after the January 6th Capitol riot, Zuckerberg banned Trump from Facebook, claiming his posts had “rightly disturbed” people both in the U.S. and worldwide. Facebook wasn’t exactly a champion of free speech back then.
But here’s the kicker: that was in 2021, when it seemed like Trump’s political career was over. The Democrats were in full control, and Zuckerberg had no reason to kiss up to Trump anymore. Fast forward to 2025, and things are looking very different. The Democrats are on the decline, and it seems like Trump could very well be headed back to the White House. And now Zuckerberg is suddenly singing a different tune—he’s all about free speech.
Think about it—if Kamala Harris had won the November election, would Zuckerberg have made that same bold statement? Would he have been so eager to call out the government’s push for censorship? Would he have criticized fact-checkers for creating more distrust than they fixed? Would he be talking about moving his content moderation teams out of California to avoid political bias?
Of course not! In that scenario, Zuckerberg would have probably delivered a very different speech, one that would have sounded just as noble, just as sincere—but for completely different reasons:
“It’s time to get back to our roots around fighting online hate. We need stronger moderation on sensitive topics like immigration and gender. Claims about ‘political bias’ in our fact-checking teams? Absolutely unfounded. Now, we have the opportunity to restore liberal values, and I’m excited to take it…”
So, while Zuckerberg might claim to be restoring free speech, don’t forget that it might be more about political strategy than a genuine shift in his views. With Trump’s influence looming large again, Zuckerberg seems more focused on keeping the peace with those who could soon hold power. Funny how things change when the political tides turn, huh?
