Elon Musk Has Already Fired the Woman Behind Twitter Banning Trump

Musk officially owns the bird app now, and he immediately booted four executives, including Vijaya Gadde.

By Susan Rinkunas  |  October 28, 2022 | 4:00pm
NewsPolitics
Elon Musk Has Already Fired the Woman Behind Twitter Banning Trump
Photo:Michael Gonzalez (Getty Images)

On Thursday night, billionaire and incredibly unfunny shitposter Elon Musk finally completed his acquisition of Twitter, and he immediately fired four top executives, including the CEO, chief financial officer, general counsel, and the head of legal policy, trust, and safety. That last (now former) executive is Vijaya Gadde, who was central to permanently banning President Donald Trump after he incited violence before and during the January 6 insurrection. Twitter was the first platform to ban Trump; Facebook and Instagram suspended his accounts for two years and will only reinstate him in January 2023 “if the risk to public safety has receded.”

Musk, a self-described “free speech absolutist,” said in May that he would allow Trump back on the platform, calling the ban “a morally bad decision” and “foolish in the extreme.” The comments came at an event hosted by The Financial Times, where Musk said: “I do think it was not correct to ban Donald Trump. I think that was a mistake…It alienated a large part of the country and did not ultimately result in Donald Trump not having a voice.”

It feels like it’s only a matter of time before Musk’s Twitter reverses Trump’s ban. The real question is whether the former president returns before or after the midterm elections on November 8. It wouldn’t just be an annoyance for Trump to be back for those who will be subjected again to his unhinged and blatantly false rants—it could actually undermine democracy. Rolling Stone recently reported that Trump is planning to challenge the midterm elections if Republicans lose, especially the Pennsylvania Senate race where Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) faces Mehmet Oz (R). He can better rally his troops and influence media narratives if he’s talking to people on Twitter versus the flaccid Truth Social.

Already some of the worst people in US politics are egging Musk on, including Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO).

Needless to say, Twitter has been far improved by the lack of Trump. Just let us laugh at his old bangers, and let a sleeping dog lie.

 
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