Fox News host Tucker Carlson returned to Twitter just hours after it was revealed that billionaire Elon Musk had bought the social media platform for $44 billion.
“We’re back,” the @TuckerCarlson account tweeted Monday night, shortly after the Tesla CEO successfully completed his takeover of the social media platform.
Carlson was suspended from the platform last month after Twitter found he had broken the rules by hitting Deputy Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine, a transgender woman, as a man.
He tweeted in support of satirical conservative news website The Babylon Bee, whose account was suspended for a similar violation.
The TV host, who appeared to be celebrating Musk’s acquisition on Monday’s episode of Tucker Carlson Tonight, claimed the SpaceX founder introduced a “revolutionary attitude” to the internet.
“The reason today’s sale of Twitter is big news — the reason it could prove to be a pivotal point in our story — is because Elon Musk disagrees with the other billionaires in the tech business,” he said Carlson. “He thinks everyone should be allowed to talk. Including people who disagree with him.’
Fox News host Tucker Carlson returned to Twitter just hours after it was revealed that billionaire Elon Musk had bought the social media platform for $44 billion
Carlson tweeted Monday for the first time since he was suspended from the platform last year
Carlson claimed that unlike leaders at Facebook, Google, Apple and Amazon, Musk is a strong supporter of “free speech” and can reverse restrictions on those who express opinions that differ from those of the Biden administration.
“Sounds like a purely American sentiment,” Carlson said of Musk’s tweet. “But in this atmosphere, that’s a revolutionary attitude… To date, you have had no right to publicly express your disagreement.”
Carlson was suspended from the platform after Twitter found he had broken the rules by hitting Deputy Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine (pictured May 2015), a transgender woman, as a man
Twitter claims the platform doesn’t restrict users based on their political views, but prominent conservatives often complain of being banned or “shadow banned,” meaning their tweets become less visible.
Regardless, Carlson hailed Musk’s purchase of the platform as the “biggest political development since Donald Trump was elected in 2016.”
Anger among conservative social media users first spilled over when Twitter and Facebook permanently suspended Trump’s accounts early last year following the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.
In response to his suspension, Trump launched his own platform, Truth Social, which appears to mirror the Twitter interface.
Since Musk first expressed interest in the platform earlier this month, Trump supporters have been urging the billionaire to reinstate Trump’s account — something Twitter has vowed to do.
The notion was revived during Carlson’s Monday night show when Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, who appeared as a guest, told his host he believed Musk would “bring Trump back.”
“That’s a lot for people to freak out about,” Portnoy said.
Carlson responded by saying, “I think you’re absolutely right.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk (pictured December 2020) will be the next owner of Twitter after pledging around $44 billion to buy the social platform and take it private
However, Trump said Monday that he has no intention of rejoining Twitter even if his account is restored after the Musk deal.
Instead, he plans to stick with his own app, TRUTH Social, whose popularity faltered after a spike in interest during its glitchy debut on Apple’s App Store. The app is not yet available for Android users.
Despite not posting since the platform launched about two months ago, the ex-president told Fox News he would be a regular user within a week.
“I’m not going on Twitter, I’m going to stick with the TRUTH,” Trump told the outlet Monday, ahead of news that Musk had bought the platform.
“I hope Elon buys Twitter because he will make improvements on it and he’s a good man, but I’m sticking with the TRUTH.”
In a statement he released announcing the purchase, Musk touted “free speech” as “the bedrock of a functioning democracy” and raised hope among conservative users that he could restore Trump’s suspended account
Trump (left) said Monday that he has no intention of rejoining Twitter even if his account is restored after the Musk deal. Instead, he plans to stick with his own app, TRUTH Social (right), whose popularity faltered after a spike in interest during its glitchy debut on Apple’s App Store
A spokesman for Trump confirmed his intentions to .
Trump claimed his app gets a “better” response than social media giant Twitter, although he didn’t seem to elaborate.
“We’re taking in millions of people and we’re finding that the response on TRUTH is much better than on Twitter,” the ex-president said. “Twitter has bots and fake accounts, and we’re doing everything we can.”
Musk, the world’s richest person and a self-proclaimed freedom of speech absolutist, previously said he wanted to buy and privatize Twitter because he believed it was undercutting its potential as a free speech platform.
In recent weeks, Musk has floated a number of proposed changes for the company, including easing content restrictions, saying he’s “very reluctant” to taking down content and wary of permanent bans.
TWITTER SHARE PRICE MONDAY:
TWITTER SHARE PRICE OVER THE LAST FIVE DAYS:
Musk vows to protect freedom of speech, “beat spam bots,” “authenticate everyone” and “improve products with new features”… while Twitter bosses say they’re “proud” of their team for the deal
Elon Musk vowed to protect free speech on Twitter, “beat the spam bots” and “authenticate all people” as he welcomed the acquisition.
He also announced that he plans to “enhance the product with new features” and “open source the algorithms to increase trust.”
He said: “Freedom of expression is the foundation of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital marketplace where important issues for the future of mankind are discussed.
“I also want to make Twitter better than ever by improving the product with new features, open-sourcing algorithms to increase trust, defeat spam bots, and authenticate everyone.
“Twitter has tremendous potential – I look forward to working with the company and the user community to unlock it.”
Meanwhile, Twitter board members who unanimously voted in favor of the deal said they were “proud” of their team working to bring it home.
Twitter Chairman Taylor said: “Twitter’s board of directors conducted a thoughtful and comprehensive process to evaluate Elon’s proposal with a deliberate focus on value, security and funding.
‘The proposed transaction will result in a significant cash premium and we believe this is the best way forward for Twitter shareholders.’
And CEO Agrawal added: “Twitter has a purpose and relevance that impacts the entire world. Deeply proud of our teams and inspired by the work that has never been more important.”
After nearly a month of back-and-forth over Musk’s intended role at the company, Twitter released a statement Monday saying it had reached an agreement with the tech tycoon to sell the social media giant for US$54.20 -Dollar a share in cash would buy a total of about $44 billion.
The deal means the company will go private once the deal closes, likely later this year.
He committed $21 billion of his own money in the form of equity, $13 billion from Morgan Stanley in the form of credit facilities, and another $12.5 billion from the bank and others in the form of margin loans.
But “a portion” of its Tesla stock has been pledged as collateral, which analysts say could have a huge impact on the company.
Shares of the electric-vehicle maker fell more than 2 percent immediately after news of Musk’s acquisition of Twitter — a sign experts say could signal shareholder concerns that the tech tycoon is stretching too thin.
Under the terms of Musk’s agreement with Twitter, shareholders will receive $54.20 in cash for each common share they owned at the time of closing.
That represents a 38 percent premium to Twitter’s closing price on April 1 — the last day of trading before Musk said he had taken a 9 percent stake.
The deal was cemented about two weeks after the billionaire first announced a nine percent stake in the platform.
Musk said last week he had provided $46.5 billion in financing to buy Twitter and was putting pressure on the company’s board to negotiate a deal.
He had also met with shareholders in recent days and asked for support for his bid, while saying the board had to make a “yes-or-no” decision.
In a U-turn on Monday, Twitter said the transaction had been unanimously approved by the board.
The 11-member board includes Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey, who plans to step down from the board in May.
Bosses said the deal is expected to close later this year and is subject to approval by Twitter shareholders and regulators.
Twitter shares rose 6 percent Monday to $52 a share