Elon Musk Trolls Donald Trump Amid His Return To Twitter
After considerable back-and-forth, including some legal issues, Elon Musk finalized his acquisition of Twitter on October 27, 2022 for $44 billion, per NPR. The day before, he tweeted a video of himself carrying a bathroom sink into Twitter's lobby and wrote: "Entering Twitter HQ — let that sink in!"
If it didn't sink in then, Musk's takeover certainly did a few days later. He began firing huge swaths of Twitter employees, including CEO Parag Agrawal, according to ABC News. Musk's goal, apparently, was to fire half of Twitter's 7,500-employee base. He warned workers the day before layoffs and then sent an email to each affected individual with the subject line reading, "Your Role at Twitter" and the body of the email stating: "Today is your last working day at the company." His changes for Twitter users, including charging a subscription fee for the verified blue check, have put the company in mayhem.
Adding to the upheaval, Musk has decided to reinstate some previously banned Twitter users, including Donald Trump. Even though his account has been revived, Trump indicated in a virtual meeting with the Republican Jewish Coalition that he would continue his social networking outside of Twitter (via CNN). Musk decided to troll the former president by using a "Family Guy" meme.
Elon Musk teases Donald Trump with a meme
After the January 6, 2021, domestic terrorist incidents at the U.S. Capitol, Donald Trump was removed from Twitter, according to The New York Times. This was a precautionary measure due to claims that some of his tweets could be responsible for inciting violent riots. After Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter, he presented Twitter users with a yes-or-no poll: "Reinstate former President Trump." Of the 15 million Twitter users who voted, 51.8% said yes, while 48.2% said no. Following these results, Musk tweeted: "The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated. Vox Populi, Vox Dei," which means "the voice of the people is the voice of God."
Following this eventful poll, Trump's account was allowed back on Twitter. Musk couldn't help but tweet (and quickly delete) a meme of Lois Griffin from "Family Guy" sitting at the table looking at her prescription bottle — taken from the scene where she says, "Brian, was that the last pill?" On Lois, Musk wrote "Donald Trump" and on the prescription bottle, Musk wrote, "His reinstated Twitter account" (via The List).
After his announcement to run for president again in 2024, Trump spoke about Musk's acquisition of Twitter from Las Vegas on November 19, 2022. Trump acknowledged that Twitter was having a lot of problems but said that he "liked" the fact that Musk bought the company, according to CNN. "He's a character and I tend to like characters. But he's smart," Trump said of his fellow billionaire.