Elon Musk says Twitter banning Trump was “morally wrong and flat-out stupid”

Musk said that he would reverse the ban if he completes his acquisition of the company.

The Financial Times reporter asked Musk if he would reverse the Trump ban during a keynote session on Tuesday.

The answer is I would reverse the permanent ban, Musk said.

Musk said it was a morally bad decision to ban Trump for inciting violence.

Musk said that if there is a mistake, those should be deleted or made invisible, but not a permanent ban.

Musk said that Trump has stated that he will not be coming back to Twitter and he will only be on Truth Social. It is morally wrong and stupid because it will amplify it among the right.

Musk: Trump ban “alienated a large part of the country”

Musk said he has spoken with Jack Dorsey about permanent bans.

I've talked to Jack Dorsey about this and he and I are of the same mind, which is that permanent bans should be extremely rare and really reserved for accounts that are bots or spam, scam accounts, where there's no legitimacy to the account at all. I do think it was not correct to ban Donald Trump.

I think that was a mistake because it alienated a large part of the country and did not ultimately result in Donald Trump not having a voice. He is now going to be on Truth Social as will a large part of the right in the United States, and so I think this could end up being frankly worse than having a single forum where everyone can debate.

If they say something, that doesn't mean they'll never be suspended. I believe that permanent bans undermine trust in the town square where everyone can speak their mind.

In January 2021, the company permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further violence, but they said that elected officials and world leaders are not above the rules.

The board of directors of the company accepted the offer from Musk on April 25. The deal is expected to close this year.

Musk “against censorship that goes far beyond the law”

Musk said he was buying the platform to protect free speech. Musk suggests that he is willing to comply with any government restrictions on speech, but wouldn't remove any content unless it is specifically banned by law.

I mean that which matches the law, Musk wrote on April 26. The government will be asked to pass laws that will make less free speech possible. Going beyond the law is against the will of the people.

The platform has historically banned or suspended accounts for violating its rules, relying on its own First Amendment right to moderate the platform. On Friday, a federal judge in California dismissed the Trump lawsuit.