Twitter's new boss Elon Musk on Saturday announced former US president Donald Trump would return to the social media platform after he organised a poll asking the netizens if Trump's account should be reinstated. This comes days after Trump announced that he would run for the next presidential elections scheduled for 2024.
A little over 51% of the votes, out of over 15 million votes, went in favor of Trump on Musk's tweet on Saturday.
"The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated. Vox Populi, Vox Dei," Musk said in another tweet announcing Trump's return to the social media platform.
Here is all you need to know about Trump's return to Twitter after his announcement to run for the POTUS post in 2024:
What has Trump said
Former President Trump on Saturday said he had no interest in returning to Twitter, Reuters reported. "I don't see any reason for it," he said in a video, as he welcomed Musk's poll. "I do like him... you know, he's a character and again, I like characters," he said adding that he would stick to his own social media platform.
"He did put up a poll and it was very overwhelming... but I have something called... Truth Social."
Trump had over 88 million followers when his account was suspended. He had been active on Twitter, using the platform to make announcements, attack rivals and communicate with his supporters.
Why was Trump banned from Twitter?
Trump's Twitter account had been "permanently" suspended early in 2021 citing "risk of further incitement of violence" after his alleged role in the January 6 Capitol riots.
"After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them — specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter — we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence." Twitter had said then.
Twitter had found Trump's following two tweets posted on January 8, 2021 as a violation of their 'Glorification of Violence' policy.
-"The 75,000,000 great American Patriots who voted for me, AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future. They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!"
-"To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th."
The social media giant had then said that the tweets had the potential to incite violence. "Due to the ongoing tensions in the United States, and an uptick in the global conversation in regards to the people who violently stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, these two Tweets must be read in the context of broader events in the country and the ways in which the President's statements can be mobilized by different audiences, including to incite violence, as well as in the context of the pattern of behavior from this account in recent weeks," Twitter said.
