Donald Trump’s Twitter account reinstated after Elon Musk removes ban
After a nearly two-year absence, former President Donald Trump is able to reclaim his Twitter account — though it’s unclear whether he’ll be back.
Elon Musk, the social media company’s new owner, announced Saturday evening Trump’s Twitter account would be reinstated. Minutes later, the former president’s profile was unbanned and his blue check mark was restored.
The news comes days after Trump announced his presidential bid for 2024. He was banned from Twitter for inciting violence during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The decision marks both the highest profile and most controversial figure Musk has welcomed back to the social media platform since his turbulent $44 billion takeover of the company last month, which has been marked by severe cuts to both its workforce and revenue as many companies stopped advertising.
“The people have spoken,” Musk said on Twitter Saturday evening. “Trump will be reinstated.”
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Trump, who announced Tuesday he was running for president again, has said he would not return to Twitter even if invited. But the former president has not gotten the same resonance from his Truth Social app, which has a much more limited reach.
On Truth Social, Trump has 4.57 million followers, a fraction of the more than 88 million he had on Twitter.
Before lifting the ban, Musk on Friday created a poll on his personal Twitter account asking users if he should “reinstate former President Trump.” More than 15 million users weighed in, though it was unclear how many of the poll participants were verified users or bots.
After the poll, Musk announced Trump would be reinstated on the platform. “Vox Populi, Vox Dei,” Musk said, a Latin phrase meaning, the voice of the people is the voice of God.
Trump on Saturday issued a statement about the poll and the possibility of being reinstated. “Vote now with positivity, but don’t worry, we aren’t going anywhere,” Trump said. “Truth Social is special!”
He elaborated in a virtual appearance at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s leadership meeting, saying that, while he’s “always liked” Musk and was happy that he purchased Twitter, he doesn’t “see any reason” to go back to the platform.
![Elon Musk reinstated Donald Trump's Twitter account Saturday.](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2022/11/18/USAT/92fcbd3c-6b25-4dca-a2bf-202d7fc1daaa-AFP_AFP_32MM9FZ.jpg?width=660&height=427&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
“They have a lot of problems at Twitter,” Trump said. “You see what’s going on. It may make it, it may not make it, but the problems are incredible.”
The de-platforming of Trump and other figures on the political right sparked outrage among conservatives who accuse Facebook and other major social media platforms of censorship and liberal biases.
Since Musk took over the company last month, he has reinstated other prominent figures and companies, including right-wing Canadian podcaster Jordan Peterson, the far-right satire website The Babylon Bee and comedian Kathy Griffin,…
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