Donald Trump has been officially reinstated on Twitter, but the former president expressed doubts about his return on Saturday afternoon.
Trump announced on Truth Social, a social media service he has used since being banned from Twitter for life in January 2021, that he would not be switching back.
“Vote now with positivity, but don’t worry, we aren’t going anywhere. Truth Social is special!” he posted.
Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter, formally reinstated Trump this weekend after a poll on the platform garnered more than 15 million votes. “Reinstate former President Trump: Yes or No,” the poll simply asked.
Fifty-two percent of users agreed he should be allowed to return to the platform, which has already lifted lifetime bans on satirical account Babylon Bee, Kathy Griffin, and Jordan Peterson.
“The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated,” Musk wrote. “Vox Populi, Vox Dei.”
The people have spoken.
Trump will be reinstated.
Vox Populi, Vox Dei. https://t.co/jmkhFuyfkv
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 20, 2022
The Tesla CEO said over 134 million people saw the poll.
Trump was previously barred from Twitter following the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the United States Capitol Building for allegedly inciting violence or for fear of using the platform in such a way.
Reinstate former President Trump
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 19, 2022
In another tweet, Musk wrote “Vox Populi, Vox Dei,” a Latin phrase that translates to “the voice of the people is the voice of God.”
Musk also considered using more polls to gauge support for potential actions in another tweet. He also mentioned to one user that he could add a feature that would allow him to poll all active users in a country.
Trump’s Twitter handle, @realDonaldTrump, has been activated, and users can now tag him in tweets. There had been no new tweets as of Saturday evening.
Trump told Fox News Digital in April that even if he was reinstated, he would not return to Twitter. Meanwhile, Trump updated Truth several times on Saturday, including posts about his ongoing New York trials, the FBI, and the midterm election results.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Donald Trump Announces He Will Run For President In 2024
“I am not going on Twitter, I am going to stay on TRUTH. 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,” Trump said at the time.
Since taking over the platform, Musk has faced near-constant criticism, as he has fired most of its senior leadership and staff, overhauled the platform’s subscription and verification system, and announced a number of changes to its moderation.
