Elon Musk to restore Donald Trump to Twitter after holding online poll

Twitter’s new owner asked users to click ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on whether the former president’s account should be restored.

Alana Calvert
Sunday 20 November 2022 01:50 GMT
Elon Musk has said he will reinstate Donald Trump’s account on Twitter, reversing a ban that has kept the former president off the social media site since a pro-Trump mob attacked the US Capitol on January 6 2021 as Congress was poised to certify Joe Biden’s election victory (Rebecca Blackwell/AP)
Elon Musk has said he will reinstate Donald Trump’s account on Twitter, reversing a ban that has kept the former president off the social media site since a pro-Trump mob attacked the US Capitol on January 6 2021 as Congress was poised to certify Joe Biden’s election victory (Rebecca Blackwell/AP) (AP)

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Elon Musk has said he will reinstate Donald Trump’s account on Twitter.

The move would reverse a ban that has kept the former president off the social media site since a pro-Trump mob attacked the US Capitol on January 6 2021 as Congress was poised to certify Joe Biden’s election victory.

Mr Musk made the announcement in the evening after holding a poll that asked Twitter users to click “yes” or “no” on whether Mr Trump’s account should be restored.

The “yes” vote won, with 51.2%.

“The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated. Vox Populi, Vox Dei,” Musk tweeted, using a Latin phrase meaning “the voice of the people, the voice of God”.

It is not clear whether Mr Trump would actually return to Twitter.

An irrepressible tweeter before he was banned, the former president has said in the past that he would not rejoin the social media platform even if his account was reinstated.

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