- Since Elon Musk took over Twitter, promising to uphold free speech, some accounts were reinstated.
- Musk has since restored Donald Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene's Twitter accounts.
Months before taking control of Twitter, Elon Musk criticized the social networking site for "failing to adhere to free speech principles," going as far as to say that the app "fundamentally undermines democracy."
Musk, who has previously referred to himself as a "free speech absolutist" is wielding his power, making changes to the site on a whim.
Twitter has been in non-stop chaos since Musk took over on October 27. Employees have been fired, verification now costs $7.99, and accounts have been banned. Some accounts previously banned or suspended have been revived, but in typical Musk fashion, the reinstatements haven't come without controversy.
Here are the accounts that have been restored:
Donald Trump
In January 2021, the former president's account was permanently suspended by Twitter "due to the risk of further incitement of violence" following the insurrection at the Capitol.
According to CNN, Trump was suspended after sending two tweets, including this one: "The 75,000,000 great American Patriots who voted for me, AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future. They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!"
Politico reported that Trump went "ballistic" following the ban and was scrambling to figure out what his options were, according to a senior administration official. He eventually launched a new social-media app called Truth Social in February.
After debating whether Trump would return to the site, Musk left it up to users on Friday by making a poll: "Reinstate former President Donald Trump," Musk tweeted, with a "yes" and "no" option. After 51% of respondents voted "yes," the billionaire owner restored Trump's Twitter account the next day.
It's unclear whether the former president will return to the bird app since creating Truth Social.
"I am not going on Twitter, I am going to stay on TRUTH," Trump told Fox News in April. "I hope Elon buys Twitter because he'll make improvements to it and he is a good man, but I am going to be staying on TRUTH."
"The bottom line is, no, I am not going back to Twitter," he said.
—Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 20, 2022
Marjorie Taylor Greene
The Republican representative's Twitter account was permanently suspected in early January of 2022 for repeatedly spreading COVID-19 misinformation. The social media site had said in March 2021 that it would ban posts spreading misinformation about vaccines.
"Twitter is an enemy to America and can't handle the truth. That's fine, I'll show America we don't need them and it's time to defeat our enemies," Greene said in response to her suspension at the time.
On Monday, November 21, her account was reinstated.
As of that afternoon, Greene had yet to post anything to her Twitter account acknowledging the fact that her suspension was lifted. Her last post remains a January tweet demanding fellow congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez apologize to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Andrew Tate
Controversial influencer Andrew Tate was suspended from Twitter in 2017 after violating the company's terms of service. NBC reported that Tate tweeted women should "bare some responsibility" for being sexually assaulted, which initiated the suspension.
Tate has become a leader for a new generation of the "manosphere" and frequently spews misogynistic and violent comments about women.
After five years, his Twitter account was reinstated.
—Andrew Tate (@Cobratate) November 18, 2022
Jordan Peterson
Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson was temporarily suspended from the social media network after violating the site's hateful conduct policy on June 28. Peterson referred to transgender actor Elliot Page by his deadname, per Forbes.
After being suspended, Peterson filmed a nearly 15-minute long YouTube video, saying he would rather die than delete the hateful tweet.
Following Musk's tweet on November 18 stating that Peterson would have his account restored, the professor seemed to be relishing the comeback, posting a deluge of tweets.
—Dr Jordan B Peterson (@jordanbpeterson) November 18, 2022
The Babylon Bee
The Babylon Bee, a right-wing satirical site, was banned in March for making an anti-trans comment about Rachel Levine, a trans woman currently serving as US assistant secretary of health.
In response to the ban, CEO Seth Dillon made a post on The Babylon Bee's website saying, "We won't compromise the truth just to keep our account."
After being reinstated on November 18, The Babylon Bee tweeted, "We're back. Let that sink in."
—The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) November 18, 2022
Kathy Griffin
Comedian Kathy Griffin's account was suspended and then revived in the span of a month.
Her account was suspended in November after she impersonated Musk and mocked him in several tweets. After copying Musk's profile picture, Griffin tweeted, "After much spirited discussion with the females in my life, I've decided that voting blue for their choice is only right. (They're also sexy females, btw.) #VoteBlueToProtectWomen."
While Peterson may have embraced Musk's decision, Griffin wanted nothing do with it. On Mastodon, a social network many Twitter users have flocked to, Griffin tooted — Mastodon's version of tweeting — "Dear Space Karen. No Thanks."
Kanye West
Kanye West's Twitter was locked following the rapper's antisemitic rant in October when he said he was "going death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE."
The rant was one of Ye's first tweets on the app since 2020, after his Instagram account was restricted.
On November 20, West tweeted, "Testing Testing Seeing if my Twitter is unblocked" to which Musk responded, "Don't kill what ye hate Save what ye love."
—ye (@kanyewest) November 20, 2022