Twitter co-founder Biz Stone and other prominent figures interjected, but former President Donald Trump said he would not return to the platform.
After news on Monday that Twitter's board had agreed to accept Elon Musk's $44 billion bid to buy the company, celebrities and meme artists quickly began working to react to the restructuring.
In a statement after the sale was announced, Musk, one of Twitter's most prominent figures, said free speech was "the cornerstone of democratic operations, and Twitter is the digital town square."
"I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making algorithms open source to increase trust, beating spam bots, and authenticating everyone," Musk said.
Musk, a prolific Twitter user, tweeted shortly before the announcement: "I hope even my worst critics can stay on Twitter because that's what free speech means." ”
Some immediately began advocating for the restoration of those banned from using the platform, including former President Donald Trump, as some users tweeted that free speech had become prevalent and the slogan "Make Twitter Great Again" began to catch on.
Trump, who was banned two days after the U.S. Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, told Fox News that he would not return to Twitter and instead chose to join his truth social platform within a week as originally planned. Trump, however, said he expects Musk to improve Twitter.
"I'm not going to twitter. I will stand by the truth," Trump said. "I hope Elon buys Twitter because he's going to improve it and he's a good guy, but I'll keep following Truth."
Senator Marsha Blackburn, Republican of Tennessee, celebrates the acquisition news.
"Today is an encouraging day for free speech. I hope Elon Musk can help rein in the history of big tech companies censoring users with different views," she wrote on Twitter.
On the other side of the aisle, Sen. Dick Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, said Musk's "absolutely" acquisition of Twitter worries him.
He said he wanted it to be this global message board. My first question to him was '[is] will the message board include Donald Trump? According to The Hill, Durbin said.
Meanwhile, Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, provided a poll to his Twitter followers.
"Is elon Musk buying Twitter a good thing?" he asked. The two answers provided are: "Yes" or "No, I hate free speech."
Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott also appears to support Musk's acquisition, asking him to move the company's headquarters to the state.
"Bring Twitter to Texas and join Tesla, SpaceX and Boring," he tweeted, listing some of Musk's other companies.
Some groups, including the NAACP, urged Musk not to make hate speech.