Following the assault of the Capitol in January 2021, Twitter claimed Mr. Trump’s account was “permanently disabled… due to the possibility of additional instigation of violence.” Elon Musk claims that if his attempt to acquire Twitter is successful, he will lift Donald Trump’s Twitter ban.
Last month, the world’s richest man agreed to a $44 billion acquisition proposal with the Twitter board of directors.
However, he stated that it was not finalized and that it will be completed in the following two to three
months.
Mr. Musk told the Financial Times Future of the Car symposium that Twitter’s move to block the former
US president was “morally wrong and flat-out stupid.”
He claimed that while the ban had not silenced Mr. Trump, it had increased his voice among the far-right by forcing him to shift to his own Truth Social site.
Mr. Trump has previously claimed that even if his account was reactivated, he would not return to Twitter.
Dr. Catherine Flick, a De Montfort University expert in computers and social responsibility, told the BBC’s Today program that her team had “quite strong evidence to suggest [Mr. Musk] is entirely incorrect” about the impact of Mr. Trump’s removal from Twitter.
“Removing Donald Trump from Twitter substantially reduced polarization,” she said. “It took away a platform for him to incite hatred and discord among others on the platform.”
In the US, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the Biden administration wants online platforms to protect freedom of speech but also ensure they are not forums for disinformation.
Ms. Psaki said allowing Mr. Trump back on Twitter or not would be a decision for the private sector company to make.
