NAACP president invites Musk to conversation on Twitter

NAACP President Derrick Johnson on Tuesday tweeted at Elon Musk, inviting him to an open conversation on the social media platform one day after the Tesla CEO purchased the site.

“If you believe in free speech on your platform, let’s talk openly on Twitter Spaces. People have a few questions and a few recommendations,” Johnson tweeted.

His invitation was in response to an earlier tweet from Musk on Tuesday saying that “the extreme antibody reaction from those who fear free speech says it all” after his acquisition of the site.

“Let’s have a conversation about our democracy,” Johnson said in another tweet.

The Tesla CEO on Monday reached an agreement with Twitter to purchase the company for approximately $44 billion.

That same day, Johnson asked Musk to keep former President Trump off the platform after Trump was barred from the site following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. 

“Mr. Musk: free speech is wonderful, hate speech is unacceptable. Disinformation, misinformation and hate speech have NO PLACE on Twitter,” Johnson’s earlier statement said.

“Do not allow 45 to return to the platform,” it added.

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

He has also complained about moderation on the site, saying regulating speech on the platform has gone too far and that the site should serve as “the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated.”  

Some Democrats have criticized Musk’s purchase, including Sen. Jeff Merkley (Ore.), who said he was concerned “when an oligarch may be owning the town square.”

“I think we do need to pay a lot of attention to how it’s managed,” he added.  

But a number of Republicans have praised the deal, citing freedom of speech.