Toni Dimaano Tech 11.20.2022 23:Nov PM EST

Elon Musk Restores Donald Trump's Twitter Account Following A Poll

Twitter has lifted the permanent ban on the account of former US President Donal Trump after a poll run by Elon Musk on his own account affirmed the move.

According to Bleeping Computer, the Twitter chief surveyed users on whether they want to see the return of Trump's Twitter, to which the majority of 15 million users said yes to.

The Controversial Decision Takes Trump Out Of Twitter Jail

To the shock of many, Trump's account, together with its data and followers, came out of the permanent suspension Twitter has implemented in the past.

This comes around after 52% of 15 million respondents in a poll started by Musk said that they want to bring back the ex-president's Twitter presence.

In January 2021, the platform permanently banned Trump from the social network due to concerns raised that his tweets may incite violence amid the Capitol riots.

It can be remembered that Twitter was central to the ex-president's political rise, but he has since used the site to spread a variety of false information about his opposition.

NBC News writes that the company's recent move shows what direction it wants to take in its promise to embrace free speech as promised by the CEO.

This comes around after Musk said that he will loosen the reins on the social network's rules on content regulation and moderation.

This is the latest decision the company made after a series of shake ups in the billionaire's short tenure, including the controversial paid verification system, Bleeping Computer reports.

In a conference in May, even before Musk bought the company for $44 billion, he had already expressed his disagreement with the ban on Trump's account, calling it a mistake.

On Friday, the CEO also said that he would reinstate the accounts of controversial users Jordan Peterson, Kathy Griffin, and right-leaning satire website Babylon Bee.

According to CNN Business, the restoration of Trump's Twitter account can cause a surge of traffic on the network that may put technical strain as it coincides with the World Cup.

Additionally, the return of Trump on the social media site comes at a time where the concerns that Republicans are set to claim election fraud after the midterm elections were at a high.

Trump Snubs Twitter, Saying He Will Stay On Truth Social

When the Twitter poll Musk published was still active, Trump had already announced that he would not go back on the platform.

NBC News says that Trump claims that Truth Social has been very powerful, which is why he does not see any reason for going back on Twitter.

The ex-US head of state developed Truth Social in light of his Twitter suspension, which aims to get him better audience engagement with like-minded individuals.

At the moment, Trump has about 5 million followers on Truth Social as it became his main source of direct communication since May.

CNBC writes that the former president used his own social media platform to promote allies, defend himself from legal scrutiny, and openly criticize opposition.

While many advertisers have been pulling out of Twitter due to Musk's erratic decision-making, Trump's no-show after his Twitter reinstatement reduces concern regarding this issue.