I hate to say it, but it’s likely the correct conclusion.
I doubt very much that the White House had to put much pressure, if any, on the SM companies to run cover for them. They’re all in the same globalist boat.
It’s up to these private companies as to whether or not they want to adhere to and fight for freedom of speech principals. Musk does. These leftist companies went along with the comrades.
But this ruling allows the government to apply more pressure to Musk to go along with the Establishment Social Media guidelines that the left will make up as needed to push their agenda on any number of “crucial” issues.
No they simply had to ask which they did extensively even down to twitter banning small users with as little as 200 followers
In one case I reviewed a congressional staffer saw something that small and called twitter to drop the user which they did
Over covid
They’ve done it over all their political aims
There is extensive cooperation between this DOJ and intelligence and congress and the democrat party and social media in oppressing opposition posting and information dissemination
This rejection by SCOTUS was not about merit but standing
Standing is often used as a punt