Former President Donald Trump has been officially reinstated on Twitter after being banned after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol in 2021. The decision came from Elon Musk, who recently bought the social media platform. Musk did a poll on the platform and a slight majority wanted him back.
The left are not particularly happy with the decision. Vox, a left news source says "Civil rights groups like the NAACP, the Anti-Defamation League, and Color of Change have criticized Musk’s decision to reinstate Trump, arguing that the former president’s Twitter presence poses a threat to democracy, and that Musk has been erratic and unclear in his decision-making process. "(Ghaffary, 2022).
Many people are not surprised by Musk's choice, saying he has already made a string of bad choices on Twitter, jabbing at both the President and the billionaire.
Vox also found the choice to be a noteworthy time due to Trump's recent announcement to run for President again in 2024. Vox and others are interested to see how it plays out as Musk is described as "...selectively enforcing rules around acceptable speech on Twitter at his own discretion has prompted criticism." (Ghaffary, 2022). Many wonder if this will only end up causing more problems down the line.
The New York Post doesn't seem to care about Trump's ability to tweet again, but rather the legal battle that has surfaced because of it. This lawsuit has actually been in the works for some time now, but has been in the light only recently due to Musk's reinstatement announcement.
It seems to not matter to Trump or his attorney, John Coale who says, "He told Bloomberg that Musk should have communicated with Trump’s team before making a decision."
Now Trump is back in the news once again and a mostly private lawsuit is being spoken about in the news more than Trump and his team wanted. It is viewed as bad timing considering his announcement to run for President.
The lawsuit is against Twitter and began after the Jan. 6 storm of the Capitol. Trump and his team felt is was wrong to ever ban him in the first place and the lawsuit started from there.
To round this up...
I feel as though Trump will always be in the news, whether it be small or large, his presence online is always noteworthy. In regards to twitter, it is wondered if he will even use the platform on the same level anymore now that he has moved onto his own online platform. Time will tell to see what Trump does with his regained freedom on the social media platform.
Zilber, A. (2022, November 29). Donald Trump to continue legal war with Twitter despite getting account back: Lawyer. New York Post. Retrieved November 30, 2022, from https://nypost.com/2022/11/29/trump-continues-legal-war-with-twitter-despite-getting-account-back-lawyer/
Ghaffary, S. (2022, November 20). Trump's return to twitter prompts outrage and confusion. Vox. Retrieved November 30, 2022, from https://www.vox.com/recode/2022/11/19/23468634/trump-twitter-elon-musk-ban-allowed-back-president-2024
Folkenflik, D. (2018, April 7). Analysis: In Trump's Twitter feed, a tale of sound and Fury. NPR. Retrieved November 30, 2022, from https://www.npr.org/2018/04/07/600138358/analysis-in-trumps-twitter-feed-a-tale-of-sound-and-fury
I also did a blog post on this matter, so it was cool to read your post and see your perspective on the situation. I can agree that Trump will always be in the news and he will always be remembered for the controversial tweets and words that he allowed to come from his mouth during his presidency. Trump said he is done with Twitter, but like you said- time will tell what he will do now that he has his privileges back. Great post!
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