Donald Trump‘s tumultuous relationship with Twitter has reached a new point. Last week, news of controversial billionaire Elon Musk purchasing and taking over Twitter made a plethora of headlines, and the twice-impeached former president weighed in on the matter, as well.
Donald Trump says glad Twitter in ‘sane hands’ with Elon Musk as he touts Truth Social app https://t.co/PqDXzj6vNw pic.twitter.com/6uR76XlNkZ
— New York Post (@nypost) October 29, 2022
Trump’s Statement
Trump, 76, issued the following statement via Truth Social (the social networking site he founded after leaving office in January 2021), “I am very happy that Twitter is now in sane hands, and will no longer be run by Radical Left Lunatics and Maniacs that truly hate our country,” Trump wrote. He added, “Twitter must now work hard to rid itself of all of the bots and fake accounts that have hurt it so badly. It will be much smaller, but better. I LOVE TRUTH!”
One former Twitter user who sounded quite pleased as Elon Musk formally took charge of the company was former President Trump, who declared himself “very happy that Twitter is now in sane hands.” From The New York Times. https://t.co/AduKqtsAXW
— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) October 28, 2022
Will Trump Rejoin Twitter?
Trump was banned from Twitter after the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots and attacks, and many on the social media app continue to wonder whether he will ever rejoin and/or create a new account with Musk’s potential approval. As of writing, Trump’s handle (@realdonaldtrump is still “permanently suspended from Twitter.
Entering Twitter HQ – let that sink in! pic.twitter.com/D68z4K2wq7
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 26, 2022
Musk’s Plans For Twitter’s Future
Musk, 51, as Reuters reported, closed the $44 billion deal announced back in April to take Twitter Inc. private. Immediately, after the world’s richest man took ownership of the platform, he fired top executives such as CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal, general counsel Sean Edgett and Vijaya Gadde, longtime head of legal, policy and trust at Twitter. His firing of Gadde is notable since her responsibilities included making major user account decisions (like the one to permanently ban Trump, for example).
BREAKING: Elon Musk has fired Vijaya Gadde, head of legal policy, trust & safety, who made the decision to permanently suspend Donald Trump.
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 28, 2022
Musk recently wrote to his followers, “The reason I acquired Twitter is because it is important to the future of civilisation to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence.” He added: “That is why I bought Twitter. I didn’t do it because it would be easy. I didn’t do it to make more money. I did it to try to help humanity, whom I love.”
I’m guessing Elon Musk is gonna be as good at having a social media platform as Donald Trump was at having a university.
— Randi Mayem Singer (@rmayemsinger) October 31, 2022
“The bird is freed,” Musk also tweeted after “acquiring Twitter,” as Reuters writes, in an apparent “nod to his desire to see the company has fewer limits on content that can be posted.” The SpaceX founder has long spoken about his love for the First Amendment (and simultaneously tweeted anti-trans statements, support for Kanye West, a derogatory references to a British diver who was trying to help save a Thai soccer team trapped in a cave, etc). As Axios writes, many are worried as Musk will assume control of Twitter at a “chaotic time for free speech in America.”
