Elon Musk reinstates Trump’s Twitter account

Twitter CEO Elon Musk reinstated former President Trump’s Twitter on Saturday evening, shortly after Musk announced he would restore the account.

The move ended a ban that started nearly two years ago in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

Musk made the decision following a Twitter poll on Friday in which a narrow majority voted in favor of reinstating the former president’s account.

“The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated. Vox Populi, Vox Dei,” Musk said in a tweet, quoting the Latin phrase meaning “The voice of the people is the voice of God.”

It remains to be seen whether the former president will return to the social media platform. After Trump was banned from Twitter, he created his own platform, Truth Social.

While Trump welcomed Musk’s takeover of Twitter three weeks ago, he initially said he plans to stay on Truth Social.

“I am staying on Truth,” the former president said. “I like it better. I like the way it works. I like Elon, but I’m staying on Truth.”

Ending the ban is only the latest news to come from Musk’s chaotic transition at Twitter following his $44 billion acquisition of the company in late October. 

Hundreds of employees quit on Thursday after the billionaire issued an ultimatum — either commit to a “hardcore” work environment or leave. The New York Times reported on Friday that internal estimates showed at least 1,200 employees had resigned. That came after Musk laid off about half of the company’s 7,500-person workforce in his first week.

Musk has also warned recently that the company was facing “dire” economic conditions and potentially bankruptcy. 

He attempted to implement changes to Twitter’s verification process, turning it into a paid subscription service. However, it was quickly rolled back after several users impersonated major public figures and brands.

Updated at 9:04 p.m.