Elon Musk reinstated former President Donald Trump's account on Twitter Saturday, reversing a ban that had kept Trump off the social media site for more than 22 months — since a pro-Trump mob attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as Congress was poised to certify President Biden's election victory.
Musk made the announcement after holding a poll that asked Twitter users to click "yes" or "no" on whether Trump's account should be reinstated. The "yes" vote won, with 51.8%.
"The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated. Vox Populi, Vox Dei," Musk tweeted, using a Latin phrase meaning "the voice of the people, the voice of God."
Shortly afterward Trump's account, which had earlier appeared as suspended, reappeared on the platform complete with his former tweets, more than 59,000 of them. However his followers were gone, at least initially, but their numbers topped 2 million in about an hour and a half.
It was not clear whether Trump would actually return to Twitter, and although his account was restored, he had not tweeted as of late Saturday night.
Musk's decision came four days after Trump announced his candidacy for the presidency in 2024. In a speech at an auto conference in May, Musk asserted that Twitter's ban on Trump was a "morally bad decision" and "foolish in the extreme," and that he would allow Trump back on if he bought the company.
In late October, following his $44 billion takeover of Twitter, Musk declared he would form what he called a "content moderation council with widely diverse viewpoints," adding that no one whose account has been banned would be reinstated before that group has a chance to meet.
However, Trump's account was restored without any input from such a council, and there was no evidence that such a council has yet been formed. The poll, posted on Musk's own Twitter account, drew more than 15 million votes in the 24 hours in which it ran.
source(CBS)
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