Advertisers threaten to flee Twitter if Elon Musk reinstates Trump's account

Elon Musk assured advertisers he wouldn't let Twitter turn into a "free-for-all hellscape," but there's apparently one change that would cause some of them to bail out on the social media platform.

The Tesla mogul is expected to finalize a purchase of the company this week, but advertisers are concerned about his plans for the platform -- which includes ending Donald Trump's indefinite suspension for inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection, reported the Wall Street Journal.

The former president, who now posts on his own Truth Social website, has said he would not rejoin Twitter, but his return could drive away about a dozen well-known consumer brands represented by the leading ad-buying agency GroupM.

Kieley Taylor, global head of partnerships at GroupM, said other companies are waiting to see how things shake out, while she expects to hear from other clients if Trump returns to Twitter.

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“That doesn’t mean that we won’t be entertaining lots of emails and phone calls as soon as a transaction goes through,” Taylor said. “I anticipate we’ll be busy.”

Twitter relies on advertising revenue, but the company takes in a much smaller slice of digital ad spending than Amazon, Google or Meta Platforms, with just 1.1 percent of the market share.