NAACP calls for Musk to keep Trump off Twitter

The NAACP on Monday issued a statement from its president, Derrick Johnson, calling for former President Trump to remain off the social media platform Twitter following Elon Musk’s purchase of the company.

“Mr. Musk: free speech is wonderful, hate speech is unacceptable. Disinformation, misinformation and hate speech have NO PLACE on Twitter,” the statement said, shortly after it was announced that the Tesla CEO had reached a deal to purchase Twitter. 

“Do not allow 45 to return to the platform. Do not allow Twitter to become a petri dish for hate speech, or falsehoods that subvert our democracy,” the civil rights group’s memo added, referencing Trump and saying that “lives are at risk, and so is American democracy.”

Trump was permanently banned from Twitter in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. 

But Musk, who on Monday reached an agreement with Twitter to purchase the company for approximately $44 billion, has not publicly commented on whether he intends to reinstate the former president’s access to his account on the platform.

Musk has said that he views the acquisition of Twitter as a way to protect free speech, declaring during a conference earlier this month that the offer was “not a way to sort of make money.”

Earlier this month, it was announced that the Tesla CEO would join Twitter’s board of directors. But days later, the company walked that announcement back with little explanation. 

“Elon’s appointment to the board was set to become effective 4/9, but Elon shared that same morning that he will no longer be joining the board. I believe this is for the best,” Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal said in a memo to employees at the time.