Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, said on Friday that Twitter’s decision to ban then-President Donald Trump following his supporters’ attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, was a “grave mistake” that needed to be fixed. However, he added that inciting violence would still be prohibited on the platform.
“I’m fine with Trump not tweeting. The important thing is that Twitter correct a grave mistake in banning his account, despite no violation of the law or terms of service,” Musk said in a tweet.
“Deplatforming a sitting President undermined public trust in Twitter for half of America” he added.
I’m fine with Trump not tweeting. The important thing is that Twitter correct a grave mistake in banning his account, despite no violation of the law or terms of service.
Deplatforming a sitting President undermined public trust in Twitter for half of America.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 25, 2022
The reactivation of Trump’s account was announced by Musk last week after a tiny majority of respondents to a Twitter survey favoured doing so. Trump, though, stated that he had no interest in rejoining Twitter. He stated that he will continue to use the app created by Trump Media & Technology Group, Truth Social, his own social media platform.
Trump, a Republican, was blocked from Twitter on January 8, 2021 under Twitter’s previous owners. Trump just announced ten days ago that he would be running for office again in 2024.
When the Capitol was stormed, Twitter said it had permanently suspended him due to the danger of further inciting violence. After weeks of false claims by Trump that he had won, the Capitol was assaulted as lawmakers were certifying the results of the November 2020 presidential election won by Democrat Joe Biden.
Trump frequently claimed there had been rampant voter fraud on Twitter and other platforms, and he encouraged followers to demonstrate outside the Capitol in Washington.
US prosecutors are looking into the attack, as is a congressional committee.
Musk responded to a tweet by saying that it was “extremely concerned” that Twitter hadn’t already taken steps to delete some accounts linked to the extreme left Antifa movement. Musk replied “Absolutely” to a tweet that questioned whether he thought the comment “trans people ought to die” warranted the platform’s suspension.
Musk’s first few weeks as Twitter’s owner have been marked by change and chaos. The announcement that senior officials in charge of security and privacy had resigned came along with his firing of top managers.
