Former United States President Donald Trump has said that he would not return to Twitter even if the company’s new owner, Elon Musk, restored the former president’s ban.

“No, I won’t be going back on Twitter,” Trump said in an interview to a television channel.

“I will be on Truth Social within the week. Its on schedule. We have a lot of people signed up. I like Elon Musk. I like him a lot. He’s an excellent individual. We did a lot for Twitter when I was in the White House. I was disappointed by the way I was treated by Twitter. I won’t be going back on Twitter,” he said.

Following the attack on the United States Capitol by his supporters, Twitter suspended Trump indefinitely in January 2021. The decision was made following the Jan. 6 disturbance “because to the potential of further encouragement of violence,” according to the firm. On Twitter, Trump had over 80 million followers.

Questions about whether Trump would be allowed back on Twitter arose after Musk expressed his interest in acquiring the firm, in part to turn it into a free speech platform.

“It’s just really important that people have the, both the reality and the perception that they are able to speak freely within the bounds of the law,” Musk said during a recent TED interview.

Musk also stated that he is opposed to permanent bans and prefers suspensions. The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX has frequently used Twitter to make jokes and promote his business interests, which range from his companies to cryptocurrency he’s interested in.

Trump has only made one post on Truth Social, which bills itself as a free speech alternative to Big Tech platforms. It is part of the former president’s Trump Media & Technology Group, which is in the process of merging with Digital World Acquisition Corp. Twitter shares fell about 13% on Monday after the company revealed it had accepted Musk’s offer to take the company private.

(Adapted from CNBC.com)

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