Twitter Vetoes Trump Return, Says Policy 'Not Determined By The Board'

Twitter Inc TWTR implied it will not allow former President Donald Trump to rejoin the social media site, adding what some might view as a jab at the newest member of its board of directors, Elon Musk.

What Happened: In a statement to Daily Mail, the company avoided naming Musk or Trump directly but made it clear the Tesla TSLA chief would not be in a position to restore the former president to the platform.

“Twitter is committed to impartiality in the development and enforcement of its policies and rules,” the company said in an unattributed statement. “Our policy decisions are not determined by the Board or shareholders, and we have no plans to reverse any policy decisions.

“As always,” the statement added, "our Board plays an important advisory and feedback role across the entirety of our service. Our day to day operations and decisions are made by Twitter management and employees.”

See Also: Analysis: Did Elon Musk Violate SEC Rules With His Twitter Algorithm Poll?

Why It's Important: Since the news of Musk’s 9.2% purchase of Twitter shares broke, he has been bombarded with requests from conservatives to have Trump brought back to the site. Trump has been banned from Twitter since Jan. 8, 2021, in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 riot on Capitol Hill.

Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal welcomed Musk with a friendly greeting earlier in the day when he said, “He’s both a passionate believer and intense critic of the service which is exactly what we need on @Twitter, and in the boardroom, to make us stronger in the long-term.”

For his part, Musk tweeted, “Looking forward to working with Parag & Twitter board to make significant improvements to Twitter in coming months!”

Photo: Matt Johnson / Flickr Creative Commons