News of Twitter’s sale on Monday to tech billionaire Elon Musk was met with excitement from conservative media figures, politicians and activists who have long argued the platform has been unfair to Republican points of view.
“The reason today’s sale of Twitter is big news, the reason it could turn out to be a pivot point in our history, is that Elon Musk does not agree with the rest of the billionaires in the tech business,” Fox News host Tucker Carlson said at the top of his show Monday.
“Unlike the leaders of Facebook, Google, Apple, Amazon, Elon Musk believes in free speech. He thinks everyone should be allowed to talk, including people who disagree with him.”
Carlson, who has used Twitter primarily to promote clips from his show, promoted his account on Monday and urged viewers to follow him.
“So, in the case of Elon Musk, we will see how this turns out, but for now, Musk’s purchase of Twitter is the single biggest political development since Donald Trump’s election in 2016,” Carlson said. “It is certainly the most threatening challenge to the corrupt and incompetent leadership of this country.”
Musk has vowed to implement changes at the social networking giant, placing a greater emphasis on free speech and scaling back content moderation efforts.
Critics on the left have argued that posture could create an environment where hateful rhetoric and false information can spread rapidly. Musk himself has come under fire in recent months for what some deem as offensive or controversial posts.
“I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means,” Musk said in a tweet on Monday.
“Exactly right,” responded Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). “Amazing to watch the Left panic at the prospect of free speech on Twitter.”
Some longtime conservative personalities have indicated they are willing to get back on the platform after Musk’s purchase.
“Thanks to new ownership, I’ve decided to come back!” tweeted conservative radio host Mark Levin, who left the platform last January over what he called “Twitter’s fascism.”
Hanging over Musk’s purchase of Twitter is the suspended status of one of its most prolific users, former President Trump, who on Monday told Fox News he has no intention of rejoining the platform even if his account is reinstated.
Trump had his account shut down by the company shortly after the 2020 election for posting misleading or false information.
“I am not going on Twitter, I am going to stay on TRUTH,” Trump said in reference to his own social media startup. “I hope Elon buys Twitter because he’ll make improvements to it and he is a good man, but I am going to be staying on TRUTH.”