Elon Musk signals lifting Twitter ban on Trump

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk has said he would reverse Twitter's ban on former US President Donald Trump while speaking at the Financial Times Future of the Car conference.

"I would reverse the ban," the billionaire said noting that he doesn't own Twitter yet, so "this is not like a thing that will definitely happen," Musk said on Tuesday.

Musk, who has called himself a "free speech absolutist," recently inked a $44 billion deal to acquire the social media platform.

The billionaire must still get the backing of shareholders and regulators, but he has voiced enthusiasm for less content moderation and fewer bans.

Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The suspension of Trump’s account, which had more than 88 million followers, silenced his primary megaphone days before the end of his term.

The ban followed years of debate about how social media companies should moderate the accounts of powerful global leaders.

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'Incitement of violence'

Trump was permanently suspended from Twitter shortly after the January 6 riot on the US Capitol. Twitter cited "the risk of further incitement of violence" in its decision.

The decision amplified his views among people on the political right, Musk said, calling the ban "morally wrong and flat-out stupid."

Trump previously told Fox News that he would not return to Twitter even if Musk purchases the platform and reinstates his account.

He said he would use his own social media app called Truth Social, which launched on the Apple app store in late February but was glitchy until more recently when it began letting more users in.

There was no immediate comment from a Trump spokesperson.

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