Twitter’s ban on Trump after Capitol attack was ‘grave mistake’ – Musk

Elon Musk and Donald Trump

Musk has shown displeasure in Twitter’s ban on Trump after Capitol attack.

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, said on Friday that Twitter’s decision to ban then-President Donald Trump following his supporters’ attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, was a “grave mistake” that needed to be corrected. However, he added that inciting violence would still be prohibited on the platform.

“I’m fine with Trump not tweeting. The important thing is that Twitter correct a grave mistake in banning his account, despite no violation of the law or terms of service,” Musk said in a tweet. “Deplatforming a sitting President undermined public trust in Twitter for half of America.”

The reactivation of Trump’s account was announced by Musk last week after majority of respondents to a Twitter poll approved of doing so. Trump, though, said he had no interest in rejoining Twitter. He added that he will continue to use the app created by Trump Media & Technology Group, Truth Social, his own social media platform.

Trump, a Republican, was blocked from Twitter on January 8, 2021 under Twitter’s previous owners. Trump had announced ten days earlier that he would be running for office again in 2024.

Advertisement ~ Scroll to continue

When the Capitol was stormed, Twitter said it permanently banned him due to the danger of further inciting violence. After weeks of bogus accusations by Trump that he had won, the Capitol was stormed as lawmakers were certifying the results of the November 2020 presidential election won by Democrat Joe Biden.

Trump frequently alleged there had been rampant voting fraud on Twitter and other platforms, and he inspired followers to demonstrate outside the Capitol in Washington.

Musk responded to a tweet by saying that it was “very concerning” that Twitter hadn’t already taken steps to delete certain accounts linked to the extreme left Antifa movement. Musk replied “Absolutely” to a tweet that questioned whether he thought the comment “trans people deserve to die” warranted the platform’s suspension.

Musk’s first few weeks as Twitter’s owner have been characterized by change and confusion. The announcement that senior employees in charge of security and privacy had resigned came along with his dismissal of top executives.

US prosecutors are looking into the attack, as is a congressional committee.

Regarding Musk’s statement that Trump did not break any Twitter rules of service when his account was stopped, Twitter did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Friday.

After declaring on Thursday that Twitter would grant a “general amnesty” to banned accounts that had not breached the law or participated in spam, Musk tweeted earlier on Friday that advocating for violence or inciting violence on the platform would result in suspension.

Musk responded to a tweet by saying that it was “very concerning” that Twitter hadn’t already taken steps to delete certain accounts linked to the extreme left Antifa movement. Musk replied “Absolutely” to a tweet that questioned whether he thought the comment “trans people deserve to die” warranted the platform’s suspension.

Musk’s first few weeks as Twitter’s owner have been characterized by change and confusion. The announcement that senior employees in charge of security and privacy had resigned came along with his dismissal of top executives.

Advertisement