After Elon Musk stated he would restore Trump’s Twitter account – which caused an internet meltdown — the entrepreneur is now saying that any action would happen after the midterms. Trump was banned from the platform shortly after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the US Capitol.
On Wednesday morning, Musk tweeted that “Twitter will not allow anyone who was de-platformed for violating Twitter rules back on the platform until we have a clear process for doing so, which will take at least a few more weeks.” The newly-minted Twitter owner had previously said he would start a “content moderation council” and that no major content decisions would be made until it was in place.
Known for making controversial remarks and then walking them back, Musk is anxious to placate advertisers who account for 90% of Twitter’s revenue.
In a letter posted to Twitter Musk said he doesn’t want the platform to become a “free-for-all-hellscape where anything can be said with no consequences,” despite his claims he would allow banned accounts back on the platform.
Musk’s takeover and subsequent comments rattled advertisers: The Wall Street Journal reported that one ad-buying agency had already received requests from about a dozen clients to pause their advertisements on Twitter if Musk restores Trump’s account.
Despite Musk’s comments that he didn’t acquire Twitter to make money, he still has to pay for the debt financing on the $44 B acquisition.
Stay tuned.