Tucker Carlson Reacts To Twitter Sale With Triumphal “We’re Back” Tweet; Others Less Enthusiastic: “Nothing Better To Do With 44 Billion Dollars?”

Fox News personality Tucker Carlson celebrated Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter today with a two word tweet.

“We’re back,” wrote the Tucker Carlson Tonight host, a likely reference to the platform’s ban on some conservatives — like former President Donald Trump — who used to to spread misinformation.

More from Deadline

• Donald Trump Tells Fox News He Is "Not Going Back" To Twitter After Elon Musk Buys Company

• Johnny Depp Ends Testimony Proclaiming He's Victim Of Domestic Abuse; $50M Defamation Trial Expected To Hear From Amber Heard In Next Few Weeks - Update

• Elon Musk Likes Twitter, But Space Exploration Is His Real Love, As Seen In Netflix Doc 'Return To Space'

Weeks ago, as rumors began to swirl about Musk’s interest in the social media platform, Carlson was enthusiastic.

“A free Twitter would mean a direct challenge to the people in charge of our country’s institutions many of whom are incompetent,” he said on his Fox News show. “For the first time in years we’ll be able to talk honestly about our leaders. We’ll be able to have the kind of conversations that make democracy possible.”

Carlson, of course, made that statement as the highest-rated cable news network host, a testament to both the popularity of his message and his freedom to deliver it across the nation.

One person who may not be “back” is Donald Trump. The former president, who has a stake in his own social network Truth Social, told Fox News on Monday that he’s not looking backwards.

“The bottom line is, no, I am not going back to Twitter,” said Trump.

Instead, the former president said that he would be going on his own social media platform, which launched earlier this year to a number of glitches. Since then, he has posted only once on it.

Trump said, “We’re taking in millions of people, and what we’re finding is that the response on Truth is much better than being on Twitter. Twitter has bots and fake accounts, and we are doing everything we can.”

Musk and his backers are paying $54.20 per share in cash for Twitter, which comes out to about $44 billion. Musk is currently the richest person in the world, according to Forbes, with a net worth of $268 billion as of Monday afternoon.

One person who questioned the sale was Shang-Chi star Simu Liu.

Early this afternoon, Liu tweeted, “Was there nothing better to do with 44 billion dollars?”

Many answering the actor pointed out that Musk offered to Musk responded on Twitter, writing, “sell Tesla stock right now and do it…If WFP can describe on this Twitter thread exactly how $6B will solve world hunger.”

World Food Program did send the mogul a proposal, though it’s unclear whether he ever made good on his promise.

Others who chimed in included Trump’s niece Mary Trump and author-turned political advocate Don Winslow, both of whom sounded defiant.

“It sucks, but we’ve got to stop ceding ground,” wrote Trump.

Winslow tried to rally the troops with, “If you are considering leaving Twitter, I urge you to wait AT LEAST until after the mid-terms or until this deal is fully completed. A number of these deals fall apart.”

Twitter Jedi Mark Hamill noted a disturbance in his Twitter feed.

“Weird. I just lost more than 8,000 followers in the last couple of hours. Was it something I said?” he wrote.

One follower replied that it could be “people deleting their accounts.”

Musk himself tweeted the following statement upon completion of the deal today.

Best of Deadline

• 2022 Awards Season Calendar - Dates For The Emmys, Tonys & More

• Awards Season Red Carpet Photos: Grammys, Oscars, SAG Awards & More

• Spring Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series On Broadcast, Cable & Streaming

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.