Will Trump Return to Twitter if Elon Musk Reverses His Permanent Ban?

Elon Musk announced that he would "reverse the permanent ban" that Twitter placed on former President Donald Trump if he completes his purchase of the platform.

Musk on Tuesday argued that Trump's removal was "a mistake because it alienated a large part of the country" and ultimately "didn’t end Trump’s voice." He also called the idea of permanent bans "morally wrong and flat-out stupid" as they "fundamentally undermine trust in Twitter." The former president was removed from the social media platform in Jan. 2021 following his tweets about the Capitol riots that allegedly violated "the platform’s rules against violence incitement." Although Trump has expressed confidence in Musk's acquisition, he revealed in April that he was "disappointed by the way" Twitter treated him and will use Truth Social as the sole platform for his voice.

Jill Filipovic wrote in an op-ed for CNN (Left bias) that "it’s hard to imagine that a man with such itchy Twitter fingers would be able to stay away for long." While some left-rated voices have said Trump's return would be "a gift to Democrats," Filipovic argued that it "might just be his path to victory." Deseret News (Lean Right bias) and many other outlets across the spectrum emphasized the recent success of Truth Social and didn't speculate that he'd return to Twitter. Meanwhile, Quartz (Center bias) emphasized that Twitter’s removal of Trump didn't give him less of a "voice" but impaired "the ease of reaching a mass audience."