WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th November, 2022) Twitter's decision to ban former US President Donald Trump from the platform was a grave mistake that undermined public trust for half of the United States, new company chief Elon Musk said following his recent decision to reinstate Trump's account.
Trump's Twitter account was banned after the January 6, 2021 events at the US Capitol. Earlier this month, Twitter unblocked Trump's account after the majority of participants in a survey conducted by Musk voted in favor of the measure. However, the former president has yet to tweet following the reinstatement of his account.
"I'm fine with Trump not tweeting. The important thing is that Twitter correct a grave mistake in banning his account, despite no violation of the law or terms of service. Deplatforming a sitting President undermined public trust in Twitter for half of America," Musk tweeted on Friday.
Trump's page on Twitter already has 87.7 million followers. Before the reinstatement, the account had just over 320,000 followers. At the time of the suspension on January 8, 2021, Trump's Twitter account had nearly 90 million followers.
Musk acquired Twitter last month in a $44 billion deal, vowing to bolster free speech on the platform. Musk has also reinstated accounts belonging to figures including artist Kanye West and psychologist Jordan Peterson, while declining to bring back others, such as that of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
Trump continues to communicate with the public using his own social media platform, Truth Social. Earlier this month, Trump announced his intent to run for president again in 2024.
