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Jack Dorsey backs Elon Musk’s plan to reverse Trump’s Twitter ban

'I think it was a morally bad decision to be clear and foolish in the extreme'

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Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey has supported Elon Musk’s plan to reinstate Donald Trump’s account, asserting that the decision to ban the former US President was “a failure.”

Trump was permanently suspended from Twitter following the January 6 Capitol Riots for violating the platform’s rules against violence incitement, a decision the company has said was taken by then CEO Dorsey.

On Tuesday, Elon Musk said that he would restore Trump’s banned account on Twitter if his deal to acquire the company is completed.

“I think it was a morally bad decision to be clear and foolish in the extreme,” he said at a Future of the Car event hosted by the Financial Times.

Backing Musk’s comment, Twitter co-founder said that the decision to issue the ban on Trump’s account was “a failure.”

“I do agree. There are exceptions (CSE, illegal behaviour, spam or network manipulation, etc), but generally permanent bans are a failure of ours and don’t work, which I wrote about here after the event (and called for a resilient social media protocol),” he Tweeted.

He re-shared a January 13, 2021 tweet that stated he did “not celebrate or feel pride in our having to ban” Trump from the platform but had “made a decision with the best information we had based on threats to physical safety both on and off Twitter.”

Musk, the world’s richest man, called the ban a “morally bad decision,” saying permanent bans undermine trust in Twitter.

“If there are tweets that are wrong and bad, those should be either deleted or made invisible, and a suspension--a temporary suspension--is appropriate, but not a permanent ban,” he said.

“I do think it was not correct to ban Trump. I think that was a mistake ... It alienated a large part of the country and did not ultimately result in Trump not having a voice,” he added.

The Tesla tycoon’s $44 billion takeover bid was accepted by Twitter’s board of directors last month, but it still needs regulatory approval.

Trump has said he would have no interest in rejoining Twitter even if his account were reinstated, insisting that he plans instead to stick with his fledgling social media network, Truth Social.

Last week, Musk denied a report that Trump had encouraged him to buy Twitter, tweeting that he has had “no communication, directly or indirectly,” with the former president.

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The former US president has said he would instead promote his own social media venture, Truth Social.

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