Elon Musk will reverse Trump’s banned account on Twitter once his deal to acquire the company is completed.
Musk’s comments at the Financial Times Future of the Car conference are his first public acknowledgment of what has been widely predicted since the entrepreneur unveiled plans to buy Facebook for $44 billion.
Musk has previously stated that Twitter should be “hesitant to delete things” and “very cautious with permanent bans.” He termed Twitter’s plan to ban Trump in January 2021 a “mistake” on Tuesday.
“I believe it was incorrect to prohibit Donald Trump, and I believe it was a mistake,” Musk stated. “The perma-ban would be lifted. But, in my opinion, and, to be clear, Jack Dorsey shares this opinion, we should not have perma-bans.”
Following Musk’s statements, Dorsey, Twitter’s co-founder, and former CEO said Tuesday that he “agrees” that permanent bans on Twitter users are unnecessary. “There are outliers,” he continued, “but permanent prohibitions are often a failure of ours and do not function.”
Musk’s comments were met with silence on Twitter.
Following the January 6 Capitol Riot, Trump was permanently barred from Twitter for breaking the platform’s anti-violence incitement guidelines, a move made by Dorsey, according to the business. Trump’s account was also banned or suspended on other social media platforms.
“Banning Trump from Twitter didn’t end Trump’s voice, it will amplify it among the right and this is why it’s morally wrong and flat out stupid,” Musk said at the event on Tuesday.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO acknowledged that his acquisition of Twitter, and Trump’s return, are not yet a done deal. “I will say that I don’t own Twitter yet, so this is not a thing that will definitely happen, because what if I don’t own Twitter?” he said.