https://popehat.substack.com/p/in-defense-of-free-speech-ped...
Free speech rights - The government shouldn't restrict speech
Free Speech culture - Private institutions shouldn't punish speech
Speech Decency - Individuals should judge others by their speech
Incoherence - Nobody should be judged for anything they say
There are no free speech absolutists. Only realists and hypocrites.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech
Your interpretation is widely spread but also wrong. The government is only a relevant party if we talk about specific laws.
> As a moderator, I also ban people who are just obnoxious and loud without any substance.
You then don't follow the principle of freedom of speech, simple as that. That is no crime, but you aren't liberal in these cases either.
But that is besides the point. The criticism of free speech isn't new, the arguments are always the same and usually those that argue for more restriction do end up being wrong. I don't see the path developing differently here.
To ask why Trump can capitalize on these issues, a careful reading might be appropriate as the result wouldn't be too surprising without needing to much predictive capacities.
This is tiring. Have a good day.