What you need to know
- Elon Musk says he does not believe it was a good decision to ban Donald Trump from Twitter.
- He says that he would reverse the ban, likely once his purchase of Twitter is finalized.
- Donald Trump was banned in January 2021 following the riots at the U.S. Capitol, after which he created his own social media network.
Elon Musk has spoken out on his position regarding Donald Trump's ban from Twitter, saying that he would reverse the ban and that it was a "mistake."
"I do think it was not correct to ban Donald Trump," Musk said during an automotive conference on Tuesday (via The Washington Post). "It alienated a large part of the country and did not ultimately result in Donald Trump not having a voice."
Musk is referring to the new Truth Social platform that Donald Trump created following his removal from other social media sites. He was banned following the January 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol, with Twitter notably banning him permanently out of fear that he could further incite violence.
Elon Musk has been very vocal about his stance on free speech and the role Twitter should play to encourage it. He has previously indicated that he's not a fan of permanent bans and that they should be something of a last resort.
"I’m not saying I have all the answers, but I do think that we want to be very reluctant to delete things and be very cautious with permanent bans," Musk said during an interview in April. "Timeouts, I think, are better than permanent bans."
For now, Musk is still in the process of purchasing Twitter, a $44 billion deal that may close in a few months' time.
A Twitter spokesperson declined to comment on Musk's remarks.
That said, even if Donald Trump were allowed back on the platform, it may not be in his best interest to return now that he has his own social media platform to focus on.
