Twitter CEO Musk Draws Line on Trump’s Return Before US Midterms: "Not Within Weeks"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Elon Musk, Tesla CEO who acquired the social networking service (SNS) Twitter, hinted that he would not allow the restoration of former President Donald Trump's account ahead of the U.S. midterm elections on the 8th.

According to the Washington Post (WP) and others on the 2nd (local time), Musk held a video conference with representatives of civic groups such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Color of Change, the Anti-Defamation League, and Free Press. After the meeting, he posted on Twitter, "We will fight against hate and harassment while enforcing truthful policies in elections."

Musk stated, "People who have been removed from the platform due to violations of Twitter rules will not be allowed to return until a clear (account restoration) procedure is established," adding, "This process will take a few more weeks." He continued, "I discussed with civil society leaders how to prevent hate and harassment on Twitter and strengthen election integrity policies," and said that representatives from civic groups would be included in the content oversight committee that will handle issues such as the restoration of banned users' accounts.

WP interpreted this as meaning "users whose accounts have been suspended, including former President Trump, will not be able to rejoin Twitter before the midterm elections." CNN also explained, "Twitter hinted that former President Trump will not be able to return ahead of next week's midterm elections."

Former U.S. President Donald Trump [Photo by AP News]

Former President Trump was removed from Twitter in January last year for inciting violence during the January 6 Capitol riot by his supporters. In May, while the acquisition process of Twitter was underway, Musk emphasized "freedom of expression" and indicated his intention to restore Trump's account to its original state. Trump is currently active on the SNS he created, Truth Social.

Derrick Johnson, CEO of NAACP who attended the video conference, told CNBC that there was no specific mention of former President Trump during the meeting. However, he added that civic group representatives told Musk, "There are individuals who have committed such serious acts that they should not be allowed to return to the platform (Twitter)."

Attention is focused on what content policies Musk will introduce after acquiring Twitter. As concerns grow that he, who emphasizes freedom of expression, may not heavily regulate inappropriate content, advertisers are closely watching future policy announcements. On the day of the acquisition, the 28th of last month, Musk tweeted, "Twitter cannot become a hell for everyone," but he has yet to allay advertisers' concerns.

In fact, L'Or?al, a French cosmetics company and one of the world's top ten advertisers, reportedly suspended advertising on Twitter for the time being. According to major foreign media, L'Or?al made this decision just days after Musk's acquisition of Twitter. L'Or?al spent more than 10 billion euros (approximately 14.04 trillion KRW) on advertising cosmetics, perfumes, shampoos, and more last year alone. Earlier, General Motors (GM) also declared that it would suspend advertising on Twitter for the time being.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.