Supporters of former RepublibaPresident Donald Trump are urging billionaire Elon Musk to reinstate Trump's Twitter account after Musk disclosed a 9.2 percent stake in Twitter that makes him the company's largest shareholder.
Prominent conservatives appeared emboldened by the news, particularly because Musk had questioned Twitter's content moderation rules in the days before his disclosure. News outlets also reported this morning that Musk would join Twitter's board of directors, a move that potentially broadens his influence over the platform and its policies.
Twitter banned Trump from its platform in the days following the events of January 6, the day a mob of Trump's supporters attacked the nation's seat of government on the false premise that the 2020 general election had been stolen.
In a statement at the time, Twitter noted that a "close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them" contributed to the company's decision to permanently suspend his account.
Ned Segal, Twitter's Chief Financial Officer, later stressed that the ban will remain in effect even if Trump does run for office again, a statement that came amid concerns that allowing Trump back on the platform at any point could further incite violence.
But despite these facts, conservatives like Colorado Republican Representative Lauren Boebert and anti-Islam activist Brigitte Gabriel feel that Musk, who has indicated stronger support for Trump over the last year, can fulfill a major item on their wish list.
Others have pushed back against the suggestion and noted that Trump created a social media platform of his own.
Trump has often accused Twitter of limiting prominent conservative voices on its platform.
In 2018, while still in office, he claimed that Twitter is "SHADOW BANNING prominent Republicans" in response to a news story that alleged accounts owned by Republicans were showing up in a general search of the website but not automatically populating when typing their names in the drop-down bar.
Twitter later issued a response, attributing the issue to a platform bug.
To combat this, Trump has attempted to launch a social media platform of his own. The platform, Truth Social, promises "open, free, and honest global conversation without discriminating against political ideology." It is part of the new Trump Media Technology Group (TMTG).
Trump was widely mocked after news outlets reported that Truth Social's terms of service include a clause stating that users may not "disparage, tarnish, or otherwise harm, in our opinion, us and/or the Site." The platform was hacked within hours of going live.
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