The former president of the United States Donald Trump’s Twitter account has been reactivated by Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of the social media platform.
Musk conducted a survey on Twitter on Friday and Saturday, and a slim majority of voters chose to reinstate Trump. In a tweet from Saturday night, Musk said: “The conversation is over. Trump will be reinstated. Vox Populi, Vox Dei.” The Latin phrase means “the voice of the people is the voice of god.”
Musk has previously stated that he would wait to form a “content moderation council with widely diverse opinions” before making any “big content decisions” or account reinstatements.
The people have spoken.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 20, 2022
Trump will be reinstated.
Vox Populi, Vox Dei. https://t.co/jmkhFuyfkv
After Trump’s supporters burst into the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, Twitter became the first social media site to ban him, claiming that his tweets violated the site’s policy against glorifying violence. Similar actions from Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Twitch, and other internet businesses came swiftly after that one.
With Trump’s declaration that he will run for president again in 2024, Twitter’s move may potentially have an effect outside of its own platform.
Facebook has stated that it is consulting with outside experts on deciding whether to lift its own suspension of the former president when it expires in January 2023. YouTube already stated they will eventually permit Trump to upload videos once more, but it has not provided a timeframe.
It’s also unclear what a return of Trump to Twitter would mean for Truth Social.
