Elon Musk squares up to Donald Trump over call to suspend US Constitution

Elon Musk condemned Donald Trump after the former president called for the “termination” of the US constitution following reports Twitter censored scandalous stories about President Biden’s son.

The world’s richest man was responding to an outburst from Mr Trump over newly released internal records from Twitter, which he claims provide further evidence of “fraud and deception” in his election defeat.

The so-called ‘Twitter files’ have shed light on a controversial decision in 2020 to restrict access to a New York Post article about a laptop owned by Hunter Biden, the president’s former drug addict son.

The information revealed included Twitter’s decision to delete a handful of tweets after receiving a request from Mr Biden's campaign. The tweets included nude photos of Hunter Biden that had been shared without his consent - a violation of Twitter’s rules against revenge pornography.

Mr Trump’s campaign alleged that other findings on the laptop undercut Mr Biden’s claims that he and his son never discussed overseas business dealings.

The former president has used the files - released with the approval of Mr Musk - to demand the 2020 race again, suggesting the results should be thrown out completely, which would see him return to power.

On Monday, Mr Musk responded, saying: “The Constitution is greater than any President. End of story.”

Twitter said at the time that the story was censored on its platform because it included screenshots and images that violated the company’s “Hacked Materials Policy”.

Some Republicans said Twitter’s move to block the story even helped Mr Biden in his victory over Mr Trump, but a Federal Election Commission ruled last year that Twitter didn’t break election laws by doing so.

However, the former president remains unconvinced, and said on his own Truth Social network: “So, with the revelation of MASSIVE & WIDESPREAD FRAUD & DECEPTION in working closely with Big Tech Companies, the DNC, & the Democrat Party, do you throw the Presidential Election Results of 2020 OUT and declare the RIGHTFUL WINNER, or do you have a NEW ELECTION?

“A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution,” he continued. “Our great ‘Founders’ did not want, and would not condone, False & Fraudulent Elections!”

Rollercoaster relationship

The two have had a rollercoaster relationship. Mr Trump appointed Mr Musk to two White House advisory councils in 2017, and later called him “one of our great geniuses”, likening him to Thomas Edison.

But more recently, he labelled the SpaceX and Tesla founder “a b******* artist” for saying he had never voted Republican, claiming that Mr Musk said he voted for him. Mr Musk denied the claim, and has since said: “I don’t hate the man, but it’s time for Trump to hang up his hat & sail into the sunset. Do we really want a bull in a china shop situation every single day?”

Though his account on Twitter has been reinstated by Mr Musk following a public vote last month, Mr Trump has not yet tweeted again.

Mr Trump, who has announced that he will run to be President in the next election, also received criticism from his own party.

Mike Turner, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said he “vehemently” disagrees and “absolutely” condemns the remarks, saying they should be a factor as Republicans decide who should lead their party in 2024.

“There is a political process that has to go forward before anybody is a frontrunner or anybody is even the candidate for the party,” he said. “I believe that people certainly are going to take into consideration a statement like this as they evaluate a candidate.”

'Betrayal of our Oath of Office'

On Monday, Lisa Murkowski, a Republican senator from Alaska said: “Suggesting the termination of the Constitution is not only a betrayal of our Oath of Office, it’s an affront to our Republic.”

The White House assailed Trump within hours of his comments, saying: “You cannot only love America when you win.”

“The American Constitution is a sacrosanct document that for over 200 years has guaranteed that freedom and the rule of law prevail in our great country.

“Attacking the Constitution and all it stands for is anathema to the soul of our nation.”

More news from the ‘Twitter files’ is expected to be released soon.

Elsewhere on the platform, rapper Kanye West saw his account suspended because of a series of vile comments in which he said he “loved” Hitler and the Nazis.