The Twitter account of former President Donald Trump was reactivated for the first time in nearly two years on Saturday, Elon Musk announced.
The former president had been barred from Twitter indefinitely after the company said his use of the platform contributed to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. However, Musk, who previously purchased the social media platform for $44 billion, vowed to reinstate Trump once he took over the company, and asked in an online poll whether or not he should do so. The poll showed that 51.8 percent of the respondents wanted the former president back on Twitter, as opposed to 48.2 percent who voted no.
Shortly after the poll closed, Musk tweeted, "The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated. Vox Populi, Vox Dei."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Within minutes of this announcement, former President Trump's account was once again live on the website. His last tweet was from Jan. 8, 2021, and while The Associated Press noted that his followers had been reset to zero, he had re-accrued 2.1 million of them by the time of this article's publication.
However, it remains unclear whether or not Trump will actually continue to use Twitter. The former president has previously said he would stay on his own social media platform, Truth Social, even if reinstated on Twitter. Additionally, Trump said during a speech Saturday afternoon, "I don't see any reason for it," in regards to returning to Twitter, adding that the platform had "a lot of problems," Bloomberg reported.
-
Lisa Cook and Trump's battle for control the US FedTalking Point The president's attempts to fire one of the Federal Reserve's seven governor is represents 'a stunning escalation' of his attacks on the US central bank
-
RFK Jr. names new CDC head as staff revoltSpeed Read Kennedy installed his deputy, Jim O'Neill, as acting CDC director
-
Why is Trump suddenly interested in his enemies' mortgages?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the president continues targeting adversaries, he's turned to a surprising ally to provide ammunition for an emerging line of attack
-
'A symbol of the faceless corporate desire'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Truck drivers are questioning the Trump administration's English mandateTalking Points Some have praised the rules, others are concerned they could lead to profiling
-
DC prosecutors lose bid to indict sandwich throwerSpeed Read Prosecutors sought to charge Sean Dunn with assaulting a federal officer
-
White House fires new CDC head amid agency exodusSpeed Read CDC Director Susan Monarez was ousted after butting heads with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines
-
Trump soaks up adoration in his made-for-TV Cabinet meetingsIN THE SPOTLIGHT The president's televised sessions have become a platform for his top lieutenants to demonstrate executive flattery
