Advertisement
Trending

Rumors Swirl Trump’s Twitter Ban May Be Reversed As Musk Takeover Nears Competition

Advertisement

OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


Tesla CEO Elon Musk is closer than ever to finalizing his deal to purchase the social media company Twitter.

As the takeover bid nears completion, barring new developments, rumors are now swirling that former President Donald Trump may have his official Twitter account restored, which has been banned for nearly two years.

“In a saga that’s been running for the entirety of 2022, Tesla/SpaceX CEO and world’s richest human Elon Musk has revived his $44 billion offer to buy social media giant Twitter and, if he keeps at least one of his past promises, former President Donald Trump could be headed back to the platform. Musk has declared himself a ‘free-speech absolutist’ and has been highly critical of Twitter’s policies when it comes to policing content on the platform. In May, Musk said he was likely to reverse the permanent ban on Trump that was announced just days after Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Twitter’s assessment at the time identified two Trump tweets that led to the lifetime ban,” Deseret News reported.

Earlier this month, Musk made headlines when he announced plans to move forward with his bid to purchase Twitter.

Advertisement

In the days since, there has been a great deal of speculation that Trump could return to the platform where he once had some 90 million followers.

In recent months, however, Trump has said that he had no intention of coming back to the platform even if Musk offered him the chance to return, saying instead that he would remain on his platform, Truth Social.

But that hasn’t stopped the speculation that Trump not only may return to Twitter due to the lure of being able to reach millions more again but that it could actually happen before the midterm elections, CNN reported.

The outlet added: Twitter said Tuesday it was intent on closing the deal, opening the possibility that Musk could take over the company within weeks if the deal is completed. The company’s board and shareholders had previously approved the deal, but uncertainties remain. Twitter will have to decide how to play ball with Musk, taking into account his prior waffling on the deal — a negotiation process that could come down to how to ensure the world’s richest man will actually cut a check this time.

If the deal goes through, it could soon return to Trump what was once his preferred social media platform. Trump, whose tweets as the president often drove the agenda in Washington, DC, had almost 90 million followers before he was banned permanently by the platform two days after the January 6 attack on the Capitol. (It’s unclear whether Trump would automatically regain his followers if unbanned.) Twitter said it made the decision “due to the risk of further incitement of violence.”

Talk of a Trump return actually began earlier this year after Musk surprised his supporters and detractors alike by purchasing a 9.2 percent stake in Twitter, making him the largest shareholder at the time.

Advertisement

In May, Musk argued, “Banning Trump from Twitter didn’t end Trump’s voice, it will amplify it among the right and this is why it’s morally wrong and flat-out stupid.”

Twitter founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey agreed with Musk at the time. He said that it was a “business decision” when he banned Trump and it “shouldn’t have been.”

Test your skills with this Quiz!

Not long afterward, Trump began posting on his Truth Social platform.

“I am not going on Twitter, I am going to stay on Truth,” Trump told Fox News in April after Musk’s stock purchase. He added, “I hope Elon buys Twitter because he’ll make improvements to it and he is a good man, but I am going to be staying on Truth.”

CNN adds: “Trump’s potential return to Twitter comes just a few months before he could also be allowed to return to Meta’s Facebook and Instagram. Unlike Twitter, which said it had permanently banned Trump, Meta (formerly Facebook) said it would review its ban after two years — meaning the former president could be returning to its platforms as soon as January 2023, just as the next presidential race is set to begin.”

Advertisement