As we all know, Elon Musk is set to buy out Twitter. He’s been known for his controversial comments and his love of free speech. So much so, that he has offered to reverse Donald Trump’s Twitter ban. However, Trump has previously said, he won’t come back to Twitter even if his ban is lifted.
When free speech advocates collide
It’s commonly known that Elon Musk is a believer in free speech. That’s one of the reasons people were concerned when he set about his plan to buy out Twitter. Even more so, people have been questioning whether we’ll see the return of Donald Trump to the platform. He’s made some statements that have seen him banned from using the site.
“I don’t own Twitter yet, so this is not, like, a thing that will definitely happen, I guess the answer is that I, I would reverse the permaban,”
Elon Musk regarding Donald Trump’s ban
Musk believes permabans should only be possible for spam and bot accounts. All humans should be allowed free speech, despite their views. This is likely to cause a lot of outrage as many people were happy once Trump finally received a lifelong ban. Even within a world of free speech, some things are better left unsaid. Twitter has set out to block people from using their platform when their attentions aren’t pure.
What about the minorities?
With comments Trump has previously made, multiple minority groups have felt under attack. The issue with someone with so much power making these comments is that, they will spiral. Whether you agree with his messages or not, someone like Trump has a huge following and comments that are said on a whim could potentially be dangerous. You never know who is using the internet, and certain individuals getting their hands on negative comments may not end well.
Elon Musk has stated “I do think that 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.” This goes completely against Twitter’s reasonings. Despite free speech being important to many, Trump regularly overstepped a line. Does this mean Musk is willing to change where this line sits? It no longer comes down to debates or freedom to express yourself when people are being hurt by it.
Trump thinks Twitter is “boring”
Trump has said he won’t return to Twitter. Instead, he has set up his own platform called Truth Social, where free speech is very much encouraged and users can essentially say what they wish. It could be the result most people want by Trump stating he won’t be returning. However, for a man that has been known to make quick decisions, it isn’t set in stone that he won’t ever use the app again. Once his ban is lifted, it’s then his decision. He can come back at any time he pleases.
It seems Elon Musk is more concerned by the thought of losing users than he is what’s right and wrong. He has said “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.” Is it possible his reasoning is simply, he doesn’t want to lose half of America? Why can’t users have both? If they’re interested in Truth Social, it isn’t to say they’ll leave Twitter. Also, anyone who wanted to leave for this alternative probably already has.
