39 | Friday, September 19, 2025Trump has managed another Republican makeover since Kirk's assassination, this time on free speech Print | Front Page | Email this story To:From:Message:From (email):Message:WASHINGTON (AP) — Since Charlie Kirk's assassination, President Donald Trump and his allies have praised the conservative organizer and provocateur as a free speech champion who set a high First Amendment standard for the "Make America Great Again" movement. While conservatives have not always been free speech absolutists, including campaigns against those who didn't condemn the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the latest inconsistencies are stark. "It was Charlie who helped bring online censorship, free speech and cancel culture to the fore of our political debate," Trump said on Sunday. Republicans challenged speech restrictions under BidenFurther, Trump backers accused Democrats of punishing Americans for what they did say. Attorney General Pam Bondi, in a podcast interview, declared that "there's free speech and then there's hate speech" and the latter "should be shut down."