Elon Musk says he would reverse Donald Trump's Twitter ban
What's the story
Future Twitter owner Elon Musk has answered the question that has been bugging everyone since he decided to acquire the microblogging platform. In response to whether he will reverse the permanent ban imposed on Donald Trump by Twitter in 2021, Musk replied, "I guess the answer is I would reverse the permaban." He was speaking at the 'Future of the Car' conference.
Context
Why does this story matter?
It seems like we finally have an answer to the Trump-Twitter conundrum. Musk, the company's 'heir apparent,' has said that he will reconsider the former US president's ban. The question is whether the once-controversial tweeter will accept such an invitation. He says he won't, but we know better than that. For all of this to happen, Musk has to complete the deal, obviously!
About the ban
Banning Trump was a mistake: Musk
During the conference, Musk addressed permanent bans and the Trump situation in particular. He said that "permanent bans should be extremely rare." About Trump, he said that banning the former US president was a mistake that alienated a large part of the country. The Tesla CEO did not forget to include the caveat that he doesn't own Twitter yet to reverse such a decision.
Cause of ban
Trump was banned in connection to the US Capitol riots
Trump was permanently banned from Twitter in connection with the US Capitol riots of 2021. A prolific yet controversial tweeter, he had side-stepped calls for his removal from the microblogging platform several times. However, a series of tweets from him that allegedly encouraged the rioters acted as the last straw. The company later removed him due to the "risk of further incitement of violence."
Other voices
Jack Dorsey and Musk are on the same page
Jack Dorsey, the former CEO of Twitter, was the head of the company when Trump was permanently banned. Interestingly, Musk said that both he and Dorsey share the same opinion as far as permanent bans are concerned. He said that they both agree that 'permabans' should be reserved for bots or spam/scam accounts that can't be held accountable.
Division
Musk would rather have a single platform where debate happens
Trump was banned from Twitter to stop his voice from reaching the masses. However, that did not work exactly in the company's favor as the former president started his own social media platform dubbed 'TRUTH Social.' A large part of the American right-wing is now part of that platform. Musk believes that such a division "is worse than having a single forum."