The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has come out in support of
Elon Musk to end the
Twitter ban of former President
Donald Trump.
Musk, the SpaceX and Tesla founder, is poised to buy Twitter.
If the purchase goes through, Musk
suggested on May 10 that he will lift the ban.
“I do think it was not correct to ban Donald Trump. I think that was a mistake,” he said.
Anthony Romero, the ACLU’s executive director, said Musk’s decision “is the right call.”
“When a handful of individuals possess so much power over the most important forums for political speech, they should exercise that power with restraint. If Trump violates the platform rules again, Twitter should first employ lesser penalties like removing the offending post—rather than banning a political figure,” Romero said in a statement.
“Like it or not, President Trump is one of the most important political figures in this country, and the public has a strong interest in hearing his speech. Indeed, some of Trump’s most offensive tweets ended up being critical evidence in lawsuits filed against him and his administration. And we should know—we filed over 400 legal actions against him,” he added.
Twitter banned Trump for allegedly inciting violence through posts made during and after the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. Trump has denied he was inciting violence.