BERLIN, GERMANY DECEMBER 01: SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk arrives on the red carpet for the Axel Springer Award 2020 on December 01, 2020 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Britta Pedersen-Pool/Getty Images)
Elon Musk made a visit to Capitol Hill on Wednesday, meeting with Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Democratic House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Musk, the relatively new owner of social media giant Twitter, claimed he met with both leaders to ensure that his platform is “fair to both parties.”
McCarthy declined to comment on the meeting but added that Musk was merely visiting to wish the fifty-eight-year-old a happy birthday. He added that they have “been friends for years.”
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Jefferies has not commented on the meeting.
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Social media companies such as Twitter have faced great scrutiny in recent years from the American right over allegations that they consciously suppress conservative politics on their platforms.
They point to the censorship of the New York Post‘s Hunter Biden laptop story and the suspension of former President Donald Trump‘s social media accounts.
Musk has identified ending such political suppression on Twitter as a key motivation of his that led to his disastrous acquisition of the social media platform.
While Musk has admitted to originally supporting the Democratic party in prior elections, he has rebranded himself as a center-right Republican voter. In the midst of McCarthy’s chaotic House Speaker bid, Musk threw his support behind McCarthy on Twitter.
Musk has also indicated tacit support for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) over President Joe Biden in a hypothetical 2024 presidential election scenario between the two men.
Musk has reinstated Trump’s Twitter account in recent months; however, Trump has yet to return to Twitter and abandon his Truth Social platform.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced on Wednesday that they would also reinstate Trump’s accounts.
It is unclear at this time if Musk’s decision to reinstate Trump’s account has influenced Meta to follow.
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