The claim: An image shows Donald Trump thanking Elon Musk for allowing him to return to Twitter
Elon Musk’s highly publicized efforts to buy a majority stake in Twitter have sparked the imagination of some social media users.
The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, and the richest person in the worldhe bought 9% of the company’s shares on March 14 and has since acquired more, making him its largest shareholder. A Facebook post from April 14 claims Musk’s investment in Twitter quickly reversed the platform’s ban on former President Donald Trump.
“It’s good to be back, thanks Elon!” read a screenshot of an alleged Trump tweet shared in the post.
The post received more than 2,600 reactions in five days. The alleged tweet bears the handle of Trump’s official account, @realDonaldTrump.
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The image, however, is altered. The former president’s account is still suspended by Twitter.
USA TODAY has contacted Being Libertarian, the Facebook page that posted the claim, for comment.
Trump still suspended on Twitter
Trump’s Twitter account has been “permanently suspended” since January 2021, as reported another fact check organizations.
Twitter suspended Trump following the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol. The company said the account posed a “risk of further incitement to violence.”
Musk bought a 9% stake in Twitter on March 14. One month after, announced his intention to buy out the entire company after turning down a seat on the board of directors.
As of April 21, Musk had not acquired sole control of Twitter. However, the idea that Trump could return after a Musk takeover has energized parts of the American right — particularly after Musk issued statements in which he described himself as a “free speech absolutist” and said the company needs to be “transformed.”
There are other details in the Facebook post that also point to its falsehood. The date of Trump’s alleged tweet, April 15, is one day after the post was published on Facebook. as reported by Lead Stories.
Fact check:2017 ‘Morning Joe’ Clip Misrepresented in Viral Posts About Elon Musk
USA TODAY has previously debunked claims that Trump has returned to Twitter.
Our Rating: Altered
Based on our investigation, we rate as ALTERED an image purporting to show Trump thanking Musk for allowing him back on Twitter. Trump’s Twitter account remains permanently suspended. Although Musk has expressed a desire to change Twitter’s policies, as of April 21 he did not control the company.
Our sources:
- Associated Press, April 4, Suddenly Twitter’s biggest shareholder is Tesla’s Elon Musk
- Associated Press, April 5, Elon Musk Named Twitter Board Member After Buying 9% Of Stock
- Business Insider, April 4, Trump Supporters Call on Elon Musk to Restore Former President’s Twitter Account
- Check your fact, April 18, Fact check: Did Donald Trump tweet: ‘Good to be back, thanks Elon’?
- Forbes, accessed April 19, Forbes list of world billionaires
- Top Stories, April 15, Fact check: Trump did not post a tweet thanking Elon Musk for bringing him back to Twitter; is still suspended
- Twitter, January 8, 2021, Permanent suspension of @realDonaldTrump
- Former President Donald Trump, accessed April 19, @realDonaldTrump twitter profile
- USA TODAY, June 3, 2021, Fact check: Trump’s Twitter account remains suspended
- USA TODAY, April 14, Elon Musk Offers to Buy Twitter for $41.3 Billion, Says Company ‘Needs to Be Transformed’
- USA TODAY, April 14, Twitter under Elon Musk: What Twitter would look like if Tesla and SpaceX’s billionaire CEO were running it
- USA TODAY, April 16, Poisonous Twitter poll blocks Elon Musk. Is Musk a Republican? Musk’s free speech appeals to conservatives
- Washington Post, April 18, Elon Musk wants a free speech utopia. Technologists applaud.
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Reference-www.usatoday.com