Photo: Alamy
Prominent Republicans experienced a boost in followers on Twitter just weeks after Elon Musk took charge of the company. New reports show that while Republicans have gained followers, Democrats have lost thousands.
Analyzing the data from ProPublica’s Represent tool, The Washington Post reports that Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Jim Jordan have gained more than 300,000 followers since Musk closed a $44 billion deal to acquire Twitter in October. Meanwhile, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, have all lost 100,000 followers.
The outlet notes that Twitter’s ban on bot accounts, paired with liberals’ mass exodus from the platform and the return of many conservatives, may have contributed to the drastic change in followers, with Republicans gaining 8,000 followers and Democrats losing 4,000 followers on average.
The most notable account welcomed back to the platform includes President Donald Trump. The lifting of his ban comes after Twitter kicked the then-sitting president off the platform in January 2021 following the events at the Capitol, according to RSBN.
Following his suspension, Trump launched his own social media app, Truth Social, which he plans to use exclusively despite having his old Twitter account reinstated.
Greene’s personal Twitter account was also reinstated after the “unelected big tech oligarchs” banned it earlier this year for “Covid misinformation,” RSBN reported.
“I’m the only Member of Congress the unelected big tech oligarchs permanently banned. On January 2, 2022, they violated my freedom of speech and ability to campaign & fundraise crying ‘covid misinformation.’ My account is back,” Greene posted on her official congressional account. “Go follow @mtgreenee for MTG unfiltered.”
James O’Keefe’s investigative outlet, Project Veritas, also made a comeback on the platform following a suspension in February 2021 for allegedly posting “private” information, as noted by RSBN.
“Thank you @ElonMusk for reinstating the Project Veritas Twitter account and for standing up for real investigative journalism[,]” Project Veritas’ account tweeted following the lifted suspension. “Stay tuned for an exclusive on this account 11/29 – A brave whistleblower inside the federal government is going on the record about child trafficking.”