America’s political and media players woke up Friday to a new reality: One of the country’s most outspoken, often divisive, business figures is now the moderator of its most obsessive political conversation.
Elon Musk, after formally taking control of Twitter and firing four key executives, tweeted “the bird is freed” — touching off a wave of both anxiety and relief in different corners of the political world.
Conservatives, especially on the Trumpist right, view Musk as something of a savior, liberating Twitter from what they see as a progressive-liberal approach to what content is allowed, and what’s prohibited.
Liberals worry about what happens to a key information platform without a gatekeeper, less than two weeks before the midterms — especially if Musk allows Donald Trump back onto the platform that injected his thoughts and misinformation directly into the political bloodstream for years.
“I think it’s an earthquake,” said Abhi Rahman, a Democratic strategist, inviting Trump if he runs for president again in 2024 to “spread any lies he wants about the election, voting machines, etc.”
Said one adviser to major Democratic donors, bluntly: “Huge and terrible ramifications.”
On Friday afternoon, Musk tweeted that he’ll be forming a “content moderation council” — stating “no major content decisions or account reinstatements will happen before that council convenes.”