Tesla CEO Elon Musk denied claims from the CEO of Truth Social that he was 'quietly encouraged' by former President Donald Trump to buy Twitter.
Devin Nunes, the CEO of Trump Media & Technology Group, which includes Twitter rival Truth Social, claimed Trump spoke with Musk to push him to buy Twitter and that he was all for the $44 billion acquisition.
'President Trump basically, before Elon Musk bought it, actually said to go and buy it because the goal of our company is to build a community where people are in a family-friendly, safe environment,' Nunes told Fox Business on Thursday.
On Friday, Musk called out Nunes' statement on Twitter, writing, 'This is false! I've had no communication, directly or indirectly, with Trump, who has publicly stated that he will be exclusively on Truth Social.' Truth Social billed itself as a conservative alternative to Twitter, but its valuation has tanked after Musk bought Twitter and vowed to crack down on the site's censorship.
Trump has claimed he won't return to Twitter, from which he was banned in the wake of the January 6 riots, and has instead stuck to posting on Truth Social.
Truth Social CEO Devin Nunes claimed both he and Donald Trump told Elon Musk to buy the social media platform before the Tesla CEO made his $44 billion acquisition
Musk denied the claims and said he has not spoken to Trump about his deal
Musk, the world's richest man, is poised to become the new CEO of Twitter. He is pictured attending the 2022 Met Gala on Sunday, his first social outing since announcing the takeover
Nunes' statement also appear to come at odds with his company's own interests, as Twitter is a direct competitor and Truth Social has marketed itself as platform for conservatives who feel restricted by mainstream social media sites.
Despite this, Nunes, a former congressman, told Fox that he, too, encouraged Elon to buy Twitter in order to end censorship on the platform.
'That's why we encouraged Elon Musk to buy it because someone has to take on tech tyrants,' Nunes said. 'Donald Trump wanted to make sure the American people got their voice back, and the internet was open, and that is what we are doing.
'People like Elon Musk doing what he's doing. We are definitely in favor of it.'
Many had hoped that Musk's deal to buy Twitter would help reinstate Trump's Twitter account, which was permanently suspended in the wake of the January 6 Capitol riot, but the former president has said he has no plans to return.
Musk had previously mocked Truth Social, calling it 'Trumpet,' and suggested it only exists because of Twitter's censorship policies.
Musk has vowed to make Twitter a haven for free speech and said he would make changes to how the platform censors, bans and suspends its users.
Musk said Twitter will remain free for most users, but may charge businesses and governments to use the platform. He said he would make the company public again within three years.
Nunes said both he and Trump approve of Musk's Twitter acquisition, saying to would serve as a blow to to liberal 'tech tyrants'. Pictured Nunes (left) with Trump in 2021
Nunes' statements appear to be at odds with his company's own interests, as Twitter is a direct competitor and Truth Social, which markets itself as platform for conservatives who feel restricted by mainstream social media sites
