Musk unbans Trump from Twitter

Twitter CEO Elon Musk reinstated the account of former President Donald Trump over the weekend after putting the decision to a public poll on the platform Saturday. More than 15 million users cast votes, with 52% supporting the move (see tweet). Trump's account was banned in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 storming of the US Capitol under previous company leadership; Musk assumed control of Twitter late last month.

During his 2016 campaign and throughout his presidency, Trump leveraged the platform to facilitate an unprecedented connection with the general public. Peaking near 89 million followers, he averaged 33 tweets per day by the end of his term.

Trump, who launched his 2024 presidential campaign last week, signaled he would not return to Twitter. Instead, he'll continue to post on his own platform, Truth Social, where he has around 4.5 million followers. Reports also suggest Trump has a 90% ownership stake of the platform, with its success predicated on his continuing engagement.