Donald Trump’s Twitter account was reactivated on Saturday after Elon Musk, the platform’s new owner, conducted a poll in which a narrow majority of voters supported the move, just days after the former US president announced another White House bid.
Trump was barred from the platform earlier this year for his role in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol by a mob of his supporters seeking to overturn the 2020 election results.
“The populace has spoken. Musk tweeted shortly after the 24-hour poll ended, “Trump will be reinstated.”
“Vox Populi, Vox Dei,” he added, repeating a Latin adage he posted on Friday that translates as “the voice of the people is the voice of God.”
More than 15 million people voted on whether to reinstate the controversial profile, out of 237 million daily Twitter users, with 51.8 percent in favor and 48.2 percent opposed.
Trump, who had over 88 million followers on Twitter when his account was suspended, reveled in using it as a mouthpiece during his presidency, posting policy announcements, attacking political rivals, and communicating with supporters.
Musk’s poll asked for a simple “yes” or “no” response to the billionaire Twitter CEO’s Friday statement “Reinstate former President Trump.”
“It’s fascinating to watch the Trump poll on Twitter!” Musk mused in a series of tweets Saturday morning from the controversial and hard-charging new owner of the one-to-many messaging platform.
He has previously conducted similar polls, asking followers last year if he should sell stock in his electric car company, Tesla. Following that poll, he sold over $1 billion in stock.
