Musk’s Twitter takeover prompts positive aspects for some high-profile Republicans

It’s troublesome to inform precisely why follower counts go up and down, and the counts are sometimes affected by Twitter banning bot accounts en masse. Not everybody following a selected politician is a supporter.

Musk’s ‘free speech’ agenda dismantles security work at Twitter, insiders say

Still, the sample means that tens of 1000’s of liberals could also be leaving the positioning whereas conservatives are becoming a member of or changing into extra energetic, shifting the demographics of the positioning underneath Musk’s possession. The adjustments are consistent with a development that started in April, when Musk introduced his intention to purchase the corporate.

On common, Republicans gained 8,000 followers and Democrats misplaced 4,000. For its evaluation, The Post analyzed knowledge from ProPublica’s Represent device, which tracks congressional Twitter exercise.

Musk and Twitter didn’t reply to requests for remark. On Saturday, Musk mentioned he would assist Florida’s Republican governor Ron DeSantis if he ran for president in 2024.

‘Opening the gates of hell’: Musk says he’ll revive banned accounts

Musk purchased Twitter for $44 billion late final month having pledged to deliver his imaginative and prescient of free speech absolutism to the positioning. The day he took over, he mentioned Twitter wouldn’t develop into “a free-for-all hellscape, where anything can be said with no consequences!” But customers instantly began testing the boundaries of the brand new web site underneath Musk, prompting hate speech to briefly surge.

Since then, Musk launched and rolled again Twitter Blue Verified, a $7.99 month-to-month membership that places a test mark subsequent to any account that pays. The transfer prompted an explosion of pretend accounts. Musk additionally fired about half the workers, and required the remainder of his staff to pledge to work lengthy hours or depart the corporate, considerably decreasing the variety of people who find themselves policing the positioning.

Musk additionally has restored a number of main rule-breaking accounts, together with former president Donald Trump’s, following an unrepresentative and unscientific Twitter ballot. On Thursday, after an analogous ballot, he mentioned he would grant “general amnesty” for all banned accounts that didn’t submit spam or break the regulation.

Advertisers have been fleeing, elevating doubts in regards to the web site’s capability to generate profits. More than a 3rd of Twitter’s high 100 entrepreneurs haven’t marketed on the social media community within the two weeks earlier than Tuesday, in accordance with a Washington Post evaluation.

Musk says he’s a political average, however has agreed with right-wing figures on the positioning who accuse Twitter’s earlier administration of being biased towards conservatives. The day earlier than the midterms, he known as on his followers to vote Republican, breaking with custom of different social media CEOs who usually don’t explicitly endorse one social gathering over one other.

The proper wing and conservatives for years have accused Twitter of censorship with no proof. Many have cheered Musk’s takeover, saying it’s a cause to return to the positioning.

On the day Musk’s buy was finalized, Republican members of Congress noticed their follower counts skyrocket. Greene gained some 37,000 followers, as did Jordan, then the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus. That identical day, Democrats’ follower counts plummeted, with Warren shedding practically 19,000 followers and Schiff shedding 13,000.

The development continued for days, with outstanding on-line Republicans gaining 1000’s of followers and Democrats shedding them.

The identical factor occurred Nov. 19, when Musk introduced that he could be reactivating Trump’s account after holding a ballot during which any person might vote sure or no. Greene gained an extra 45,000 followers, and Warren and Sanders every misplaced greater than 22,000. In the previous month, Greene has elevated her following by 330,000, a 28 p.c acquire, and Jordan by 290,000, an almost 10 p.c rise.