Trump is back on Twitter as Musk reinstates his account ahead of the 2024 US elections

WASHINGTON - Former US president Donald Trump has returned to Twitter social media. Trump’s account was reinstated by Elon Musk on Saturday, reversing a ban that has kept the former president off the social media site since a pro-Trump mob attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as Congress was poised to certify Joe Biden’s election victory.

Twitter’s new CEO made the announcement in the evening after holding a poll that asked Twitter users to click “yes” or “no” on whether Trump’s account should be restored. The “yes” vote won, with 51.8%. Previously, Musk had said Twitter would establish new procedures and a “content moderation council” before making decisions to restore suspended accounts.

The tech billionaire tweeted, using a Latin phrase, “Vox Populi, Vox Dei” meaning “the voice of the people, the voice of God.”

Immediately Trump’s account, which had earlier appeared as suspended, reappeared on the platform complete with his former tweets, more than 59,000 of them. His followers were gone, at least initially, but he quickly began regaining them. There were no new tweets from the account as of late Saturday, however.

This new development comes just a month after the Tesla CEO took control of Twitter and four days after Trump announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential race.

However, it was clear whether Trump would actually return to the Twitter platform because he had earlier on said in the past that he would not rejoin even if his account was reinstated. He has been relying on his own, much smaller social media site, Truth Social, which he launched after being blocked from Twitter.

On Saturday, during a video speech to a Republican Jewish group meeting in Las Vegas, Trump said that he was aware of Musk’s poll but that he saw “a lot of problems at Twitter.”

“I hear we’re getting a big vote to also go back on Twitter. I don’t see it because I don’t see any reason for it,” Trump said. “It may make it, it may not make it,” he added, apparently referring to Twitter’s recent internal upheavals.