It seems as though Elon Musk is constantly circulating in the news and on social media. There’s no doubt the world’s richest man is also one of the world’s most well-known men. He has a firm stance on many political and environmental matters and has stirred up a lot of controversy during his time in the spotlight. Musk’s latest pursuit is the purchase of Twitter and with that, plans to implement changes to Twitter’s policy. One of those policies is reversing life-time bans. Does this mean Trump will be back on Twitter?
Retract then Reinstate the Bid
Earlier this year, Musk put in a bid to buy Twitter, retracted his bid, then reinstated it. The reason for his retraction is that he believed Twitter to be dishonest about the number of “bot accounts” on the platform. Twitter dismissed his claims and accused him of inventing excuses. Eventually filing a lawsuit.
Musk and Twitter officials went back and forth for months to hash out the details of their contract. The world has watched him with curiosity as he solidified plans and moved forward with the social media platform. Musk, who purchased Twitter for $44 Billion begins his first full day of leading Twitter and users will soon start to see the policies change.
Why Make the Purchase
Musk is known for trolling other Twitter users. This means his new purchase is alarming to some, fearing a surge in harassment or misinformation. Musk, however, has commented saying, “(Twitter) cannot become a free-for-all hellscape where anything can be said with no consequences”. He also jokingly tweeted, “the bird is freed“. Then a follow-up tweet to explain why he bought Twitter, “to help humanity, whom I love”.
Worldly Views
Politicians in the UK were quick to remind Musk that Europe has different regulations for social media. Thierry Breton, EU’s internal market commissioner tweeted, “In Europe, the bird will fly by our rules.” In response to the joke tweeted by Musk the day before. One of Musk’s most notable changes to Twitter policy is to reverse lifetime bans. This means a high likelihood that Trump will be back on Twitter.
Cause of More Controversy
It is said that there are 3 sides to every story, “yours, mine, and the truth“. This is particularly true in politics. Most politicians have a reputation for their dishonesty in order to make their agendas appeal to the masses. The right and left continue to argue over who to blame for the insurrection at the White House, Jan 6th. 2021.
Former President Donald Trump was banned for life from using this platform after the insurrection. Many left-wing officials and supporters believe that trump’s tweets encouraged the violence that ensued. White House Officials feared his tweets would continue to cause an uproar amongst his fans, followers, and supporters. Trump was also banned from Facebook and Instagram following the insurrection. Thus far he has done nothing to reform his conduct.
Personal or Patriotic Beliefs
With Musks new ownership of the platform, it looks like Trump could be back on Twitter. The former President had 88 million followers prior to facing the lifetime ban. Amidst the back and forth of the Twitter deal, Musk said at a conference in May, “I do not think it was correct to ban Donald Trump, I think that was a mistake.” Musk has both criticized and shown support to Trump. It is unclear if reversing the ban is for personal reasons, or simply to support the free speech amendment.
Trump Back on Twitter?
After he was banned from Twitter, Trump took to posting his thoughts on his Truth Social account. He recently posted that he “is happy Twitter is back in, sane hands.” Despite Musk lifting the ban, it’s unknown if Trump will utilize the opportunity to come back to Twitter. He also posted on Truth Social, “I LOVE TRUTH!”.
Trump is not the only public figure who has been banned from using the platform. The ban reversal means that all will be allowed to return. More than likely, this will cause a rise in controversial discussions in the coming months.
Keep Reading: Elon Musk Used Genius Method To Identify Tesla Employee Who Was Leaking Confidential Information To Press
Sources
- “Would Elon Musk allow Donald Trump back on Twitter?” The Independent. John Bowden. October 27, 2022.
- “All eyes on Twitter as Musk era opens.” Daily Mail Online. AFP. October 28, 2022.