Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk has said that Donald Trump’s account has been reinstated after a poll showed users supported the move.
“The people have spoken,” Mr. Musk tweeted, with 51.8 percent of more than 15 million Twitter users voting to lift the ban.
But the former US president cannot return to the platform, saying earlier: “I don’t see any reason to”.
His account was suspended in 2021 due to the threat of inciting violence.
Former Twitter management took action just days after Donald Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6.
Hundreds of rioters entered the complex as the US Congress tried to confirm Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election. Four civilians and a police officer were killed in the ensuing violence.
Shortly after the riots, Donald Trump’s Facebook, Instagram and YouTube accounts, all of which had millions of followers, were also suspended.
Several months later, he launched his own social media platform, Truth Social.
Earlier this week, the Republican announced that he would run for the US presidency again in 2024.
Mr Musk, the world’s richest man, took control of Twitter in October in a deal worth $44 billion ($37 billion).
It immediately triggered a series of radical changes within the social media giant, amid concerns that it could loosen Twitter’s regulations on hate speech and misinformation.
Just a week before the US mid-term elections on November 8, he responded to questions about whether he would reinstate Mr Trump’s account: “If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me If Trump is coming back to this platform, Twitter will make money!”
Earlier this week, he told employees that the company’s office buildings would be closed immediately, effective immediately.
The announcement came amid reports that Mr Musk had left a large number of staff to sign up or quit for “more intensively longer hours” than he had asked.
