The same could be said of JK Rowling. She's not a politician and doesn't wield any political power. But she's a major, public figure. Her words can - and have - influence others. In fact, a GOP senator quoted her anti-trans rhetoric while blocking a bill regarding LGBTQ rights. There's free speech, but there's also an affect for that speech because people DO listen to these people because they're public figures and because they're famous and because they have a platform to say what they want, whether it's true or not. Her words DO carry weight because they continue to push the same rhetoric and false narratives that others like her do.What she is promoting isn't the problem, the fact that people are listening is the problem. The scope of what her opinion should have weight is small. On the issues she is discussing she has no weight at all. So how does society stop giving credibility to the undeserving?
Same as Trump. More than half of what happened over the last 4+ years is because Trump had the platforms to spew his nonsense, which is followers ate up to the point that they believed the election was stolen and we saw that all come to fruition on January 6.