Trump Asks a Judge to Reinstate His Twitter Account

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has asked a judge to reinstate his account on the social media platform Twitter, as he seeks to overturn a permanent ban from the platform. Trump, 75, filed a preliminary lawsuit against the internet giant on Friday, demanding a swift restoration of his account. The lawsuit states that Twitter suspended his account, which had around 80 million followers, due to pressure from his political opponents. Twitter had blocked Trump's account on January 8, citing "the risk of further incitement of violence," according to the platform at the time. Trump's accounts on Facebook and YouTube were also suspended after he was accused of inciting his supporters to storm the Capitol building in Washington in January. This came after unfounded claims of fraud following his loss to Joe Biden in the presidential election. Lawyers noted that Trump's Twitter account had become an important source of news and information regarding governmental affairs.