Speculation grows that Elon Musk will reinstate Trump following Twitter purchase

His own social media app might be a hot mess, but people are starting to speculate that there could be a way back for Donald Trump on Twitter after Elon Musk recently became the majority stakeholder.

The Tesla CEO has taken an almost $3bn (£2.3bn) stake in the social media site, and it’s got people talking about a possible return for the former president.

In case you missed it, Trump previously launched his own social media platform called "Truth Social” having been permanently banned from Twitter after his part in inciting the violent riots that occurred on January 6th last year.

“After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence,” the company said at the time.

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Musk's investment in the site has got a lot of people talking. He previously spoken about free speech, writing in a series of tweets last month: “Free speech is essential to a functional democracy. Do you believe Twitter rigorously adheres to this principle?

Could we see Trump back on the platform?Getty Images

“Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy. What should be done?”

This rhetoric has led some to speculate that he could allow certain people back onto the platform now he’s the majority owner, including Trump.

Many users have been tweeting the words “make Twitter great again,” a play on Trump’s 2016 campaign slogan, since the news of Musk’s purchase broke.

Republicans have been, unsurprisingly, leading the charge to get Trump back on the platform.

“Now that @ElonMusk is Twitter’s largest shareholder, it’s time to lift the political censorship. Oh… and BRING BACK TRUMP!” Lauren Boebert tweeted.

The Tesla CEO tweeted about the nature of free speech last monthTwitter/Elon Musk

Could we see Trump back on Twitter? Only time will tell.

Whether or not they concern Trump, it looks like Musk might already have some big plans for the site.

Musk has teased the introduction of an “edit” button, which has been talked about on the social media site for years, offering users the chance to change their tweets once they’d been posted.

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