Telsa CEO Elon Musk is revealing whether he would end the ban on former President Donald Trump’s Twitter account if his deal to acquire the company goes through.
During an event that was sponsored by the Financial Times on Tuesday, Musk was asked about Trump’s ban.
“I guess the answer is that I would reverse the perma-ban,” Musk said.
He continued, “Obviously, I don’t own Twitter yet, so this is not like a thing that will definitely happen, cause what if I don’t own Twitter?”
“And Jack Dorsey, I want to be very clear, shares this opinion that we should not have perma-bans.”
Watch the video below:
Elon Musk: “I would reverse” President Trump’s ban from Twitter
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) May 10, 2022
pic.twitter.com/9UxpfLf15j
Trump was permanently banned from Twitter after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
“After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them — specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter — we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence,” Twitter said in a statement announcing the ban.
And in Feb. 2021, Twitter Chief Financial Officer Ned Segal appeared to give the definitive answer as to whether Trump would be allowed back on the platform if he runs for office again.
“The way our policies work, when you’re removed from the platform, you’re removed from the platform — whether you’re a commentator, you’re a CFO, or you are a former or current public official,” Segal said.
He added, “Remember, our policies are designed to make sure that people are not inciting violence, and if anybody does that, we have to remove them from the service and our policies don’t allow people to come back.”
"The way our policies work, when you're removed from the platform, you're removed from the platform whether you're a commentator, you're a CFO or you are a former or current public official," says $TWTR CFO @nedsegal on if President Trump's account could be restored. pic.twitter.com/ZZxascb9Rz
— Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) February 10, 2021
However, after Twitter agreed to Musk’s offer to buy it, some raised concerns that the Trump ban would be lifted.
Derrick Johnson, the head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), said in a statement, “Mr. Musk: free speech is wonderful, hate speech is unacceptable.”
“Misinformation, disinformation and hate speech have NO PLACE on Twitter. Do not allow 45 to return to the Platform. Do not allow Twitter to become a petri dish for hate speech, or falsehoods that subvert our democracy,” he continued.
Finally, Johnson said, “Protecting our democracy is of utmost importance, especially as the midterm elections approach. Mr. Musk: lives are at risk, and so is American democracy.”
For his part, Trump has said he would not go back to Twitter even if the ban was lifted.
