Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said if his deal to acquire Twitter goes through, he would let former president Donald Trump return to the platform.
During an interview with The Financial Times, Musk said Tuesday he has talked with Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey, and they agree Twitter should not support permanent bans on accounts unless it involves bots or spams and scams.
“Permanent bans fundamentally undermine trust in Twitter as a town square where everyone can voice their opinion,” said Musk of Trump’s ban during the interview. “I think it was a morally bad decision.”
Trump was permanently banned from Twitter after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Twitter cited “the risk of further incitement of violence.”
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Last month, Trump told Fox News he would not return to Twitter even if Musk owned it, opting for his own TRUTH Social app.
When asked about Trump’s tweets leading to his permanent ban, Musk said any wrong or bad tweets “should be deleted or made invisible” and come with a temporary suspension, but nothing permanent.
“I would reverse the permanent ban” on Trump, Musk said, though he pointed out that because the purchase hasn’t gone through yet, Trump’s return is not a done deal.
He added that excluding Trump from Twitter “alienated a large part of the country” and drove the former president to form his own competing app, potentially taking his followers with him.
Musk said his preference would be to have a “single forum where everyone can debate.”
Asked about Musk’s comments, White House press secretary Jen Psaki noted that Twitter is a private-sector company that will decide who will and won’t be allowed on its platforms.
Freedom of speech should be protected, she said, but social media platforms should not be used as forums to spread disinformation. “We have seen a history of that, not just on Twitter but also on Facebook,” she said.
Biden believes more needs to be done to reform Section 230, which protects tech companies from being sued for the content users post on their sites, Psaki said. Musk’s remarks “may be a reminder of the urgency of doing that,” she said.
One of the reasons behind Musk’s $44 billion deal to buy Twitter is what he describes as heavy-handed moderation by the social media platform. It’s why several observers believe he would reinstate Trump’s account.
“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” Musk tweeted to his 84 million followers after the deal was announced.
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Contributing: Michael Collins, Jessica Guynn and Will Carless
Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.
Read More:Elon Musk says he would let Donald Trump back on Twitter
2022-05-10 19:52:30