The new boss of the blue bird social network made this announcement after launching a survey of its subscribers.
“The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated“. Thus the return of Donald Trump on Twitter was announced this Saturday, November 19 by his new boss, Elon Musk, after the result of a survey launched among his subscribers. More than fifteen million responded and 51.8% voted in favor of the “yeswhen the Republican politician returns to the platform.
A few minutes after Elon Musk’s message, Donald Trump’s account was visible again, the last tweet dated January 8, 2021. The number of subscribers was erratic, rising in less than two hours to 3 million before to descend abruptly. At 9 a.m. Paris time on Sunday, the former American president had found 25 million subscribers. He has 4.57 million on Truth Social, the network he launched after he was ousted from Twitter.
At the head of the social network for three weeks, the multi-billionaire owner of Tesla and SpaceX in particular had suggested at the launch of the survey on Friday evening that its result could influence a decision on the return or not of the former head of state on Twitter since he had accompanied it with the message “Vox Populi vox dei(The voice of the people is the voice of God). In the name of free speech, he already reinstated several other suspended user accounts on Friday.
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Shortly after the finalization of the acquisition of the platform for 44 billion dollars at the end of October, the leader had assured that no major decision on the contents or reactivation of account would take place without the intervention of a dedicated council. A gesture intended, among other things, to reassure advertisers, the group’s main source of income. He has not publicly indicated whether this council has been established.
Donald Trump stays on Truth Social
Twitter had banned Donald Trump on January 8, 2021, two days after his supporters invaded the Capitol, facing the “risk of further incitement to violence“. Considering that this sanction constituted “a morally wrong and senseless decision in the extreme“, Elon Musk had mentioned in May a possible return of the former Republican president on the platform.
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While many associations, authorities and advertisers fear that the content is no longer sufficiently moderated on the social network, giving free rein to misinformation, harassment and other abuses, the businessman was expected at the turn on the subject. “You betray our democracy“, reacted, on Twitter, the president of the civil rights organization NAACP Derrick Johnson, affirming that the subscribers of Elon Musk “don’t represent america“.
The reinstatement of Donald Trump’s account is expected to cause waves in American society and politics, especially as he has once again entered the race for the White House for 2024. While rejoicing that with Elon Musk , Twitter either “in good hands“, Donald Trump has however said in recent days that he would remain on his Truth Social network, even if this platform only offers him a small sounding board compared to Twitter where he had more than 88 million subscribers.
During a video intervention Saturday at a rally of the Coalition of Republican Jews in Las Vegas, the Republican candidate welcomed the initiative, and Elon Musk. “I like it. You know he’s a hell of a character and I like hell of a character“. On Truth Social precisely, he had encouraged his subscribers to “vote with positivity» before adding: «But don’t worry, we’re not going anywhere. Truth Social is special.»
A decision hailed by his political allies
The decision to bring Donald Trump back to Twitter will in any case probably create a little more turmoil within the company, already strongly shaken since its takeover by Elon Musk. He left his mark by dismissing the main leaders of the group on his first day before embarking on a massive social plan.
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The announcement of Donald Trump’s return to Twitter, on the other hand, was welcomed by his political allies, particularly in Congress. “Welcome back @realdonaldtrump!tweeted Republican Paul Gosar, a member of the House of Representatives. “Anyone who thinks President Trump isn’t going to win the primary in 2024 is kidding themselves“, tweeted Marjorie Taylor Greene, another Republican parliamentarian fervent supporter of the former president.
On the other hand, Republican Liz Cheney, who has become the sworn enemy of Donald Trump, reacted to the news by referring her Twitter followers to a video showing one of the hearings carried out by the commission of inquiries launched after the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, which she co-chairs. “With Trump back on Twitter, it’s a good time to watch that hearing on Jan. 6.“, she tweeted. “It concerns each of the tweets sent by Trump, including those that have been deleted, and shows several White House officials describing his inexcusable conduct during the violence.“, she added.