Elon Musk He said Tuesday that if the deal to buy Twitter goes through, he would lift the ban on former US President Donald Trump decided by the platform after the Capitol storm, a decision he calls “morally wrong” and “senseless.”
“I would reverse the ban,” the billionaire told a conference at the Financial Timesalthough he clarified that since he still does not own Twitter, “this is not something that is sure to happen.”
Tesla boss’s $44 billion offer to buy Twitter still needs to get the backing of shareholders and regulators, but Musk has spoken out in favor of less content moderation and fewer bans.
“I think it was wrong to ban Donald Trump,” Musk said.
I think it was a mistake because it marginalized a large part of the country and ultimately did not result in Donald Trump having no voice.”
Trump was expelled from Twitter and other social networks after his supporters, inflamed by his tweets alleging electoral fraud, attacked the United States Congress on January 6, 2021 in a failed attempt to prevent Joe Biden from being certified as the winner of the presidential elections.
Musk stated that his position is similar to that of the co-founder of TwitterJack Dorsey, that permanent bans should be rare, reserved for accounts that are spam, scams, or run by software bots.
“That doesn’t mean someone can say whatever they want to say,” Musk said. “If they say something that is illegal or just destructive to the world, then maybe there should be a timeout, a temporary ban, or that particular tweet should be made invisible or have very limited visibility.”
Nevertheless, Musk insisted that permanent bans are a “morally bad decision” that undermines confidence in Twitter as a public square online where everyone can be heard.
The tycoon pointed out that Trump he has publicly stated that he would not return to Twitter if allowed, opting instead to stick with his own social network, which has failed to gain ground.
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