Elon Musk lifts Twitter's ban on former US president Donald Trump: 'The people have spoken'

Elon Musk, who has had a noisy takeover of social media giant Twitter, has announced that the account of former US president Donald Trump has been reinstated after running a poll on the same platform in which a narrow majority reportedly backed the idea of reinstating the mercurial Republican leader.

Trump, who recently announced his candidature for the 2024 presidential elections, was banned by Twitter in January 2021, days after his supporters stormed the Capitol to protest the result of the 2020 presidential election. Five persons were killed in the violence. The company's move came citing the risk of further incitement of violence.

"The people have spoken," Musk tweeted, saying that 51.8 per cent of more than 15 million Twitter users voted sought revocation of the ban.

He added, "Trump will be reinstated. Vox Populi, Vox Dei."

However, the former president might not return to the platform, earlier saying: "I don't see any reason for it".

Trump's accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, all of which had millions of followers, were also suspended.

Several months later, Trump launched his Truth Social, his own social media platform.

Musk, the world's richest man, took charge of Twitter in October in a $44 billion (£37 billion) deal.