Elon Musk's decision to reinstate former President Trump's Twitter account doesn't make "any difference," given that Trump's posts on Truth Social tend to make their way to Twitter anyway, journalist Kara Swisher told CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday.
Driving the news: Musk reinstated Trump's account on Saturday after initiating a Twitter poll on his own Twitter profile.
- “The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated," Musk tweeted.
- Twitter had permanently suspended Trump's account days after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, in what it said was a response to the "risk of further incitement of violence."
- In April, Trump told Fox News that he would not return to Twitter and would continue to use his own platform, Truth Social.
What they're saying: Asked by host Margaret Brennan what Trump's return to Twitter would "actually do," Swisher replied, "nothing."
- "People have been posting his truths — I think that's what they're called — on Twitter already and it gets out anyway," Swisher said.
- "I think he can't resist and will probably go full Twitter at some point," she added.
- "I don't think it makes any difference. Plus he's the former president, so it doesn't hit quite as hard."
Tech thought leader Scott Galloway told the same program that he thinks the move is "mostly" a public relations gimmick by Musk.
- "I think if Elon's out of the news for more than 48 hours, he'll decide to kick him off again," Galloway said.
- "I would argue the people haven't spoken, the GRU have spoken," he added, referring to the Russian military intelligence agency.
- "Twitter has become a playground for bad actors and fake bots. This poll is meaningless, this decision is meaningless," he said.
The other side: Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday it was a "terrible mistake" to allow Trump back on Twitter, saying the former president used the platform "to incite the attack on the Capitol."
- "It just underscores the erratic leadership of Twitter now under Musk," Schiff added.
Between the lines: Elon World is convinced this is all about eyeballs — high usage will leave advertisers with no choice but to return. Trump would boost engagement, Axios' Dan Primack notes.
- Trump has 4.6 million followers on Truth Social — and over 86 million on Twitter as of Sunday afternoon.
