Two years ago, former President Trump was banned from Twitter (along with other social media sites) in the wake of the Capitol riots on January 6. These sites argued that Trump’s commentary towards the rioters via social media violated terms and services agreements by inciting violence.
However, while Trump remains unable to access most other social media platforms, things have changed on Twitter. This is because business mogul Elon Musk purchased Twitter and subsequently let Trump back on the platform.
With Trump running in the 2024 presidential election, he’s very likely to return to Twitter at one point. After all, the former president is already trying to have his access to Facebook restored.
Nevertheless, ahead of what’s likely to be Trump’s return to Twitter, Musk and Democrats are now butting heads, according to The Hill.
What to Know About This Latest Conflict
Democrats are sounding the alarm that Trump’s return to Twitter could be dangerous and even potentially lead to foreign officials posing national security concerns.
Amid news of Trump trying to get back on Facebook, Democrats have already contacted parent company Meta, urging it to keep Trump’s Facebook ban intact. So far, Meta has not lifted the ban against Trump.
Twitter, on the other hand, has been free for Trump to access since November 2022. Thus far, however, the former president has abstained, trying to keep his own social media platform, Truth Social, alive and well.
Do you support Elon Musk’s decision to let Donald Trump back on Twitter!?
— Matt Wallace (@MattWallace888) January 18, 2023
Still, for the sake of campaigning, it’s very clear that Trump’s 2024 team wants him back on mainstream social media platforms.
Democrats, on the other hand, claim there are lackadaisical rules in place regarding Twitter’s finances, hate speech precautions, and more. They also claim that Musk is being irresponsible in how he’s managed the social media platform since buying it last year.
In the wake of this criticism, Musk warns that the Biden administration could end up using federal agencies as weapons against Twitter, due to its current management.
More to Come on Twitter
Elon Musk maintains that how he’s running Twitter is actually a net positive, rather than a liability. Furthermore, Musk is constantly keeping Twitter users in the loop about new updates to the platform, how users can view/interact with tweets, and more.
Twitter is arguably already the least wrong source of truth on the Internet, but we obviously still have a long way to go.
Enabling @CommunityNotes to operate at very large scale and providing maximum transparency about how Twitter works are fundamental to building trust.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 19, 2023
Since acquiring Twitter, Musk has also personally sparred with certain Democrats, such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren. It wasn’t all that long ago that Musk declared America has endured “harm” by Warren serving as a congressional lawmaker.
Warren, too, has taken direct shots at Musk on occasion.
What do you think about Democrats attacking Elon Musk over his choice to allow Trump back on Twitter and otherwise make more changes to the platform? You’re welcome to make the comments section below your sounding board.
