Should Trump be allowed back on Twitter?
2 Min Read
Elon Musk launched a Twitter poll asking followers to vote on whether to reinstate former US President Donald Trump's account on the platform.
-
Musk had expressed reservations about continuing Trump's suspension (AP)
Twitter CEO Elon Musk placed a poll on the platform asking users if they think former President Trump's account should be reinstated.
Following the January 6 Capitol attack, Twitter permanently suspended Trump's account over a violation of its policy against praising or inciting violence.
However, Musk, who finalized his acquisition of the firm last month, has expressed reservations about continuing Trump's suspension and has stated his general aversion to lifelong bans.
Trump poll getting ~1M votes/hour!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 19, 2022
Musk responded to the poll with the Latin phrase "Vox Populi, Vox Dei," which means "the voice of the people is the voice of God."
He tweeted on Friday that Twitter aims to promote freedom of speech and will even permit hate speech to be posted on the social media platform. But the latter will be hard to "reach", according to the tech mogul, adding that certain mechanisms will be manoeuvered to demote the posts.
The Twitter CEO also said that the personal accounts of Kathie Griffin, Jorden Peterson, and Babylon Bee have been reinstated, and that the "Trump decision has not yet been made."
Musk agreed to buy Twitter for $44 billion on October 28 after months of negotiations and legal battles with the company over the number of fake accounts on the social media platform, which the entrepreneur believed was much higher than the company reported.
Following the purchase, the billionaire began mass layoffs to optimize expenses.
On October 30, Musk announced that Twitter will potentially be split into various strands where users will be able to rate posts and stage online rows in a distinct created space on the platform, adding that Twitter would form a "content moderation council" with diverse viewpoints to help govern the platform’s policies.
