Elon Musk says he would let Trump return to Twitter

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said if his deal to acquire Twitter goes through, he would let former president Donald Trump return to the platform.

"I would reverse the permanent ban" on Trump, Musk said during a Tuesday interview with The Financial Times, though he pointed out that because the purchase hasn't gone through yet, Trump's return is not a fait accompli.

He mentioned his talks with Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey and noted they agree Twitter should not support permanent bans on accounts unless they involve bots or spams and scams.

"Permanent bans fundamentally undermine trust in Twitter as a town square where everyone can voice their opinion," said Musk of Trump's ban during the interview. "I think it was a morally bad decision."

Trump was kicked off Twitter for good following the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. Twitter cited "the risk of further incitement of violence" in its decision to bar him from the social media platform.  

Last month, Trump told Fox News he would not return to Twitter even if Musk owned it, opting for his own TRUTH Social app.

But Jennifer Grygiel, a professor at Syracuse University who studies social media extensively, isn't so sure he'll stay away.

Musk: Trump ban was 'morally wrong and flat-out stupid'

Musk said that any wrong or bad tweets "should be deleted or made invisible" and come with a temporary suspension, but nothing permanent should be done.

He added that excluding Trump from Twitter ultimately backfired because it "alienated a large part of the country" and drove the former president to form his own competing app, potentially taking his followers with him.

"Banning Trump from Twitter didn’t end Trump’s voice," Musk said, predicting the move would ultimately "amplify it among the right.... This is why it’s morally wrong and flat-out stupid."

Musk said his preference would be to have a "single forum where everyone can debate."