Elon Musk revealed a rough timeline Wednesday for when Twitter might lift its suspensions on accounts belonging to former President Donald Trump and other de-platformed individuals could be allowed to return.
Musk, who has repeatedly discussed his aversion his permanent Twitter account suspensions, indicated that any decisions won’t be made until after the midterm elections on Nov. 8.
“Twitter will not allow anyone who was de-platformed for violating Twitter rules back on platform until we have a clear process for doing so, which will take at least a few more weeks,” Musk tweeted, without mentioning Trump or any other banned account by name.
The Twitter CEO also noted he plans to create a new “content moderation council” that will “include representatives with widely divergent views, which will certainly include the civil rights community and groups who face hate-fueled violence.”
Musk has faced close scrutiny over his approach to content moderation after he previously declared an intent to prioritize free speech on Twitter. Critics argue that Musk’s ownership of Twitter will embolden extremist voices on the platform.
Musk declared months ago that he would support a reversal on Trump’s suspension, which was first imposed in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. But the billionaire has yet to affirm his plans for the account since completing his Twitter buyout last week.
“If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me if Trump is coming back on this platform, Twitter would be minting money!” Musk joked earlier this week.
The eccentric executive detailed his timeline for suspended account reviews in response to a tweet from Twitter head of safety and integrity Yoel Roth, who was discussing the company’s preparations for the midterms.
“We’re staying vigilant against attempts to manipulate conversations about the 2022 US midterms,” Roth wrote.
Any move to reinstate Trump’s account could further inflame concerns among Twitter’s advertisers, many of whom are wary that Musk’s “absolutist” approach to free speech on the platform could endanger their brands.
Musk faced criticism after he shared and then quickly deleted an article that made baseless claims about the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul. Roth recently acknowledged that Twitter was seeing a spike in hate speech over the last several days.
“Twitter’s commitment to brand safety is unchanged,” Musk said earlier this week.
Meanwhile, Trump has started his own social media site, Truth Social, in the months since his Twitter ban was implemented. The former president has said he has no plans to return to Twitter even if his account is restored.
“I am very happy that Twitter is now in sane hands, and will no longer be run by Radical Left Lunatics and Maniacs that truly hate our country,” Trump said in a statement after Musk bought the company.