Elon Musk Calls Twitter's Donald Trump Ban 'A Morally Bad Decision'

On Tuesday, Elon Musk spoke at the Financial Times conferences and said that he would allow former President Donald Trump back on Twitter if the deal goes through.

On April 15, the Twitter board of directors agreed to sell the social media company to the Tesla CEO. The deal is still pending approval from both shareholders and regulatory agencies, as per The Hollywood Reporter.

Even Musk admitted “Objectively, it’s not a done deal” and noted that shareholders have yet to vote. It’s possible that the deal could still take two to three months to become official, which Musk called his “best-case scenario.”

If the SpaceX founder is allowed to buy Twitter, he said that he will allow former President Donald Trump back on the platform.

At the conference, Musk called Twitter’s decision to ban Trump a “morally bad decision” and “foolish in the extreme.” Furthermore, Musk stated that he does not believe in permanent bans and suggested temporary suspensions as an alternative. According to Deadline, Musk said that permanent bans should be reserved for spam accounts or bots.

“It was not correct to ban Donald Trump,” Musk said on Tuesday. “I think that was a mistake. It alienated a large part of the country.”

“Banning Trump from Twitter didn’t end Trump’s voice,” Musk added. “It will amplify it among the right. And this is why it was morally wrong and flat-out stupid.”

However, Musk noted that it’s unlikely that Trump will return to Twitter, given that he has already indicated that he prefers his own social media platform, Truth Social, which he deemed “much better.”

According to the New York Post, the controversial Spotify podcaster had nothing but positive things to say about the Tesla founder on an April 2022 episode of the “Joe Rogan Experience” with guest Jessica Kirston.

The former "Fear Factor" host called Musk "a movie star cut type of a superhero. Like a movie and there was a guy who was like a hero in the movie who happens to be a billionaire who does wild s---. Like makes his own rockets and drills under the city with electric cars and then buys Twitter."

"Maybe Elon will buy TikTok next," Rogan quipped.

Rogan said the takeover "change everything" and wondered "how quickly it is before Donald Trump’s back."

Rogan called Musk's takeover "f---ing amazing" and echoed Musk's statements that the acquisition was "vital" for a "functioning democracy."

"We found out some things about Twitter," Rogan said on his podcast, adding that "one of the things they do is shadow ban," accounts for saying things "they don’t agree with."

Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has given Elon Musk his approval. “I love Twitter,” he tweeted after the aquisition. “Twitter is the closest thing we have to a global consciousness.”

“The idea and service is all that matters to me, and I will do whatever it takes to protect both,” he wrote. “Twitter as a company has always been my sole issue and my biggest regret. It has been owned by Wall Street and the ad model. Taking it back from Wall Street is the correct first step.”

“In principle, I don’t believe anyone should own or run Twitter,” he added. “It wants to be a public good at a protocol level, not a company. Solving for the problem of it being a company however, Elon is the singular solution I trust. I trust his mission to extend the light of consciousness.

“Elon’s goal of creating a platform that is “maximally trusted and broadly inclusive” is the right one. This is also @paraga’s goal, and why I chose him,” he went on. “Thank you both for getting the company out of an impossible situation. This is the right path...I believe it with all my heart.”

He concluded, “I’m so happy Twitter will continue to serve the public conversation. Around the world, and into the stars!”