Musk withdraws from the purchase of Twitter | Relief on the left, disappointed Trump supporters

(Washington) He was supposed to save free speech for the right, free hate speech according to the left, but will not go through with it: Elon Musk’s decision to withdraw from the agreement to buy Twitter has divided the American political world.

“The Twitter deal is dead, long live Truth,” wrote Donald Trump on the homonymous social network, translation of “truth” and digital spokesperson for the former Republican president since his ejection from Twitter.

Elon Musk had mentioned in May the lifting of this ban, generally considering a much less strict moderation on the influential social network, which had made his desire for redemption attractive to part of the American right.

Conversely, the prospect of a takeover of Twitter by this extravagant entrepreneur with libertarian tendencies had alarmed some on the left, where we rejoice today at an aborted project – while remaining cautious for the future. .

It is “a welcome respite for women, people of color and members of the LGBTQ community”, reacted the feminist organization UltraViolet, which feared that a Twitter under the control of the boss of Tesla and SpaceX “liberates a wave of hatred.

Progressive economist and Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman mocked Elon Musk’s “poorly controlled impulsiveness”, comparing him to resigning British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

For weeks, various positions taken by Elon Musk have cast doubt on his real desire to finalize the agreement signed on April 25 for 44 billion dollars. The announcement of his withdrawal on Friday opened the way to a long legal battle over the outcome of the case.

“Whims”

This saga shows that “our information ecosystem, its security, and democracy, must not remain within the reach of the whims of billionaires who are not accountable to anyone,” said Nicole Gill, executive director of Accountable Tech.

This association, which campaigns to hold large digital companies accountable, launched an initiative with others in early June to block the operation. Together, they “had shown that Elon Musk, by buying Twitter, only wanted to defend his right-wing ideology”, added UltraViolet in its press release.

It is indeed a certain disappointment that now seems to affect the Trump camp, himself having seen his account – along with those of Facebook and YouTube – suspended in January 2021, the platforms accusing him of having incited his supporters to violence before the assault on the Capitol.

“I’m pretty sure whatever censorship they were doing is going to be multiplied by ten,” wrote Donald Trump Jr., the son, on the “Truth” network launched by his father. “There is no chance of having freedom of thought or expression there now,” he added.

“It was the last chance to save something good from the nightmare” of the GAFA, wrote conservative political observer Dave Rubin, on Twitter. “The party is well and truly over. The purge is coming,” he added.

Another Twitter critic says the billionaire’s removal is ‘not a surprise’, but ‘musk must be given credit for exposing yet another incurable, rotten culture of political discrimination’ within the company , wrote Jason Miller, former adviser to Donald Trump and founder of another ultra-conservative social network, Gettr.