Twitter reinstates Trump’s account

Elon Musk reversed a ban on former President Donald Trump’s Twitter account on Saturday.  Musk announced the decision after holding a poll that asked Twitter users whether Trump’s access should be restored. Just over 50 percent voted yes. After completing his acquisition of Twitter at the end of last month, Musk said the social media platform would establish new procedures and a “content moderation council” before making decisions to restore suspended accounts. “The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated. Vox Populi, Vox Dei,” Musk tweeted Saturday, using a Latin phrase meaning “the voice of the people, the voice of God.” Trump’s restored account showed all of his old tweets, but he did not start posting right away after the account came back online.

Why did Twitter ban Trump in the first place? Trump’s last tweet was on Jan. 8, 2021, two days after protesters stormed the U.S. Capitol as lawmakers met to certify the presidential election results. A team of high-ranking Twitter executives said his tweets contributed to the riot. Since taking over, Musk has fired many of those executives.

Dig deeper: Read Carolina Lumetta’s report in The Stew about Musk’s political dilemma.