How Musk owning Twitter may enable a Trump comeback

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In 2021, Donald Trump was banned from using Twitter, and his son Donald Jr asked Elon Musk to use his "brilliance" to create an unbiased social media platform.

Although at the time Musk declined the request, Musk's position as the new Twitter owner positions him to reconsider the ban, in a move that may roil US politics as it prepares for a possible Trump 2024 re-election effort.

Read more: Twitter sells out to Elon Musk for $44 billion

The former President was banned "due to the risk of further incitement of violence." 

Officials in the Biden administration are worried that Musk may allow the President to return, according to reports cited by CNBC. 

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, although, on Monday, he told Fox News he would remain on his Truth social media platform.

Truth Social was the most downloaded iPhone app on Tuesday. However, its introduction has been plagued by technological difficulties, and it has yet to register on the national political radar.

Nonetheless, many believe Trump wouldn't be able to resist rejoining Twitter if given the opportunity.

According to The Washington Post on Monday, sources close to Trump revealed the former President badly misses the platform.

Musk has not explicitly addressed the Trump topic while pursuing Twitter in recent weeks, although many interpret Musk's criticism of its content restrictions as an indication that he will reverse the Trump ban.

Announcing the deal on Monday, Musk stated, "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."

Daniel Binns, chief executive of Interbrand North America in New York, stated, "Trump is about as polarizing an issue as any imaginable." 

"There might be some short-lived boycotting of Tesla amongst a small group of potential customers," Binns told AFP.

"But long term, I would fear a more corrosive erosion of the affinity people have for Tesla and the sense of empathy they have for their customer base," he added.

Twitter executives "would have been under enormous pressure to reconsider the ban" even if the company had not been acquired by Musk, said Kara Swisher, NYT columnist, who predicted the deal will "probably run Truth Social" and other nascent sites "out of business."