Bill Gates Says Donald Trump Should 'Probably' Be Allowed Back On Social Media

Gates, who has been critical of the Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, suggested that the former president undermined public confidence in the U.S. electoral system by repeatedly suggesting Democrat Joe Biden won the 2020 election thanks to widespread voter fraud.

"It’s weird when you’re, you know, saying that the election was stolen without any facts there. And how corrosive that is," Gates told Sorkin.

"But I’ll bet they’ll find a way to let him back on," the billionaire philanthropist added.

Even if Trump is allowed back on social media, the public may not be as interested in what he has to say, according to Gates. "You know in a way ... people’s interest in what he says may go down quite a bit. That’ll be interesting to watch," he told CNBC.

As NPR reported, conservatives and those supportive of Trump have migrated to other social media platforms. Gab, Telegram, MeWe, and several other messaging apps are reportedly becoming increasingly popular among right-leaning Americans. 

Virtually all major social networks -- including Facebook, Reddit, Instagram, and Twitter -- banned Trump in January, claiming that he used their platforms to spread conspiracy theories and encourage violence against his perceived political opponents.

After being banned, Trump accused the Silicon Valley giants of colluding with the Democratic Party to silence conservative voices. The former president also floated the idea of launching his own social media company and suggested that the controversial Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act needs to be repealed.

After leaving the White House and being replaced by Biden, Trump launched the "Office of the Former President." The office -- which is based at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida -- has already released several statements, with the former commander-in-chief launching vicious attacks at his political opponents.

Last week, Trump attacked Democratic Party politicians for impeaching him for the second time, describing their efforts as a continuation of an unprecedented "witch hunt."

"No president has ever gone through anything like it," he said.