Booting the former president off the site “didn’t end Trump’s voice,” Musk said. “It will amplify it among the right. This is why it is morally wrong and flat-out stupid.”

“My opinion, and Jack Dorsey I want to be clear shares this opinion, is that we should not have permanent bans,” Musk said, referring to the Twitter co-founder and former chief executive officer.

Elon Musk Stakes a $44 Billion Claim on the Future of Free Speech

Musk, who reached an agreement to acquire Twitter for roughly $44 billion late last month, has said that he believes the San Francisco-based company has overstepped on policing user speech and wants to push it toward a more free-speech-focused approach.

But Musk also cast a bit of doubt about whether the deal, which would make Twitter a private company, will go through. He’s still in the process of lining up the necessary funding to complete the transaction.

“I don’t own Twitter yet, so this is not like a thing that will definitely happen,” he said. “What if I don’t own Twitter?”

Trump has said he won’t return to the service even if the ban is lifted. He is backing his own social media company, called Truth Social. A Trump spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Musk’s remarks.

–With assistance from Mark Niquette.