Musk Draws Line on Trump’s Return Before US Midterm Elections: "Won't Happen Within Weeks" (Summary)

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and the new owner of the social networking service (SNS) Twitter, hinted that he will 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 from civil society organizations including 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 for violating Twitter rules will not be allowed to return until a clear (account restoration) process 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 civil society organizations will 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 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. Trump is currently active on the SNS he created, Truth Social.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Derek 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 civil society 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. Concerns have spread that he, emphasizing freedom of expression, may not heavily regulate inappropriate content, causing advertisers to closely watch upcoming 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.

One foreign media outlet, citing sources, reported that L'Or?al, a French cosmetics company and one of the world's top 10 advertisers, has temporarily suspended advertising on Twitter. The outlet said L'Or?al made this decision just days after Musk's acquisition of Twitter. L'Or?al spent over 10 billion euros (approximately 14.04 trillion KRW) on advertising cosmetics, perfumes, shampoos, and more last year alone.

However, another foreign media outlet reported that after confirming with a L'Or?al spokesperson, they received a response stating, "We have not made a decision to suspend advertising on Twitter."

Earlier, General Motors (GM) also declared that it would temporarily suspend advertising on Twitter.

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