Trump Lost His Twitter Lawsuit, But Elon Musk Has His Back
Former U.S. President Donald Trump just lost his case against Twitter Inc. after the platform permanently banned him. However, he may not be off Twitter for long, as Elon Musk says he’ll reinstate the account should his deal to buy the social media site go through.
Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge James Donato ruled against Trump. He argued the businessman had failed to demonstrate how his First Amendment right to free speech was violated vis a vis the ban.
Trump – long known for his controversial social media posts – was originally banned form Twitter in January 2021 following the insurrection on Capitol Hill. Trump was accused of encouraging the protests in his Tweets.
However, Trump may not be off of Twitter for much longer, as Elon Musk confirmed he’ll reinstate the former president’s account if his attempts to buy the platform is successful. “I think it was a morally bad decision, to be clear, and foolish in the extreme,” he said today at Financial Time’s Future of the Car event.
“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,” he continued. “So, I think this may end up being frankly worse than having a single forum where everyone can debate."
The billionaire implied that he’ll reinstate Trump’s account once he takes control of Twitter.
Elon is currently in negotiations to buy Twitter for $44 billion. He previously expressed interest in reforming the social media site to promote freer speech and to make it “politically neutral.”
However, the Tesla CEO has previously denied that Trump encouraged him to buy Twitter. "I've had no communication, directly or indirectly, with Trump, who has publicly stated that he will be exclusively on Truth Social,” he tweeted last Friday.
Elon reportedly wants to close the Twitter buyout by the end of this year, but a lawsuit was filed last week that may stand in his way.
The Orlando Police Pension Fund filed a class action lawsuit against the SpaceX founder and Twitter Inc. to challenge his ability to buy the site in such a short amount of time.
The pension fund argues that Elon was an “interested shareholder” in Twitter – he had existing with pre-existing agreements with current shareholders who support the buyout – Delaware law stipulates the deal cannot be closed in less than three years.
If successful the lawsuit may prevent Elon from buying Twitter (and reinstating Trump’s account) until 2025.
Sources: Washington Post, TMZ,
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