Commentary: Gov. DeSantis Shoots Down Reporter's Trump Question on Censorship Bill, Gets Standing Ovation

Not everything is about Trump.

That may be difficult for some to comprehend as, even now, reporters try to keep the narrative focused on the former president.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is no stranger to media tricks, however, and when a reporter attempted some sleight of hand at a news conference earlier this week, DeSantis did not stand for it.

When asked whether his bill cracking down on Big Tech censorship was really an effort to protect Trump, DeSantis tore into dishonest inquiry and set the record straight.

“When you de-platform the president of the United States but you let Ayatollah Khamenei talk about killing Jews, that is wrong,” DeSantis said over cheers from the crowd.

A viral video of the incident was shared on Twitter.

DeSantis’ reaction to the reporter’s question demonstrates two things.

First: DeSantis doesn’t put up with nonsense.

Second: He is not a partisan hack and, regardless of his thoughts about Trump, he is not beholden to the former president.

These qualities make DeSantis an exceptional governor and, dare I say it, an early frontrunner for the 2024 presidential primaries.

It should also be noted that DeSantis is a superb statesman, able to get some truly groundbreaking legislation out of his state’s lawmakers.

The latest example of this is, of course, Senate Bill 7072, which DeSantis signed into law earlier this week.

The bill requires Big Tech companies to be more transparent about their content moderation policies, gives Floridians the right to sue online platforms and requires proper notification about changes to moderation policies that might be used to move the goalposts, so to speak.

The bill also prohibits the de-platforming of Florida political candidates and imposes heavy fines for violations.

“Many in our state have experienced censorship and other tyrannical behavior firsthand in Cuba and Venezuela. If Big Tech censors enforce rules inconsistently, to discriminate in favor of the dominant Silicon Valley ideology, they will now be held accountable,” DeSantis said in a news release.

“Big Tech bureaucrats are not the arbiters of truth,” DeSantis followed up in a tweet.

“Unaccountable oligarchs will no longer have the power to silence Floridians for challenging corporate media narratives or dissenting from the Silicon Valley orthodoxy. We the people of Florida will now hold Big Tech accountable.”

It is incredibly refreshing to see any politician step up to actually preserve the rights and interests of his constituents and pursue sound, just policies.

That DeSantis is doing so as a prominent member of the GOP does a great deal to reaffirm that, if there is to be any justice and morality at all in the public sphere, it will come from the right.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.