Tesla CEO Musk's acquisition of Twitter on April 25 ignited international public opinion, and some people worried that Twitter under Musk's management would "change its flavor" and would no longer be an open place for netizens to express free speech, but a tool for others to control public opinion. The White House also has similar concerns, and White House press secretary Psaki hinted on the 25th that the US government may supervise Twitter.
According to British media reports, regarding Musk's acquisition of Twitter, Psaki said: "Biden has long been worried that the power of social media platforms is too large and will have a negative impact on people's daily lives. So no matter who runs Twitter, the U.S. government will remain committed to controlling social media power, and Twitter may face regulation as part of the U.S. government's efforts to control social media power. Previously, the U.S. government had accused Facebook of spreading misinformation to "kill people" during the coronavirus pandemic.
In addition, White House officials are concerned that Musk will allow former U.S. President Trump and other banned accounts to return to Twitter. But that concern was quickly dispelled by Trump himself, who made it clear in an interview that he would not return to Twitter and would continue to use his own social media as his only platform to speak out.
Unlike the U.S. government's approach to social media, Musk said when he bought Twitter that free speech is the cornerstone of the functioning of democracy, and Twitter is a digital town square where people can discuss issues vital to the future of humanity. He vowed to protect free speech online.
It is worth mentioning that this is not the first time musk has been in conflict with the opposite. In December 2021, Musk made a bold proposal: to set an "age cap" for candidates for U.S. political positions. He wrote on social media at the time: "We can set an age limit for running for U.S. political office, and that age should probably be below 70." While Musk didn't specifically specify which person or country to target, some media outlets pointed out that he satirized U.S. President Joe Biden.
In addition, the relationship between Musk and the Biden administration is not harmonious. In September 2021, Musk's SpaceX company completed the first civilian space launch mission, Biden did not send congratulations, in this regard, Musk issued a text mocking Biden as "always sleeping"; in October 2021, the Biden government intends to stipulate that users who buy Tesla electric vehicles can not enjoy tax breaks, in this regard, Musk angrily denounced Biden as a "puppet" of the All-American Automobile Workers' Federation.