Biden officials concerned Musk Will Allow Trump to Return to Twitter
With Elon Musk vowing to lessen speech restrictions, Democrat officials are worried that the former US president might return to the platform.
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Trump, who had over 88 million followers on Twitter, was permanently banned from the network
Officials in the Biden administration are worried that Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX and Tesla, may allow former US President Donald Trump to return to Twitter after the former struck a deal to buy the social media giant, according to reports cited by CNBC.
Twitter agreed Monday to be acquired for some $44 billion by Elon Musk, just weeks after the tech giant implemented a policy to prevent a hostile takeover by the billionaire.
According to more than a half-dozen Biden advisors, including two government officials, officials in the Biden administration are keeping a close eye on the deal.
Some on Biden's team are anxious that Musk may enable Trump and other Republican operatives who were previously banned from Twitter to rejoin the site, according to these sources, who asked not to be identified in order to speak openly about internal Democrat conversations.
Musk had announced in a statement included in the press release revealing the deal that “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.”
I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 25, 2022
The reports said that the mentioned officials in the Biden administration are concerned that under Musk's management, "misinformation" on Twitter will grow, which might be significant in the upcoming US presidential election in 2024.
Trump, who had over 88 million followers on Twitter, was permanently banned from the network for distributing "false information" that was blamed for sparking the riot on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021. Trump's allies, including seasoned strategist Roger Stone, pro-Trump attorneys Lin Wood and Sidney Powell, and former national security advisor Michael Flynn, have all been banned from the platform.
Trump has stated that if Musk completes a purchase, he would not return to Twitter, but sources close to him claim that the former president will still seek to have his account restored.
