Lleuwen leaves X following Trump's election win

Stephen Price

Celebrated singer songwriter Lleuwen Steffan has left X, formerly known as Twitter, describing it as a 'billboard for misogyny, hate and anti-immigration lies'.

Lleuwen's decision to leave the platform came shortly after the announcement of Donald Trump's sweeping US election win, following a campaign that was heavily supported by Elon Musk, the owner of X.

In her final X post, shared on 7 November, she wrote: "Ta-ta Twitter," accompanied by a waving hand emoji and a photo of a handwritten message which gave greater insight into her decision-making process.

In the trilingual hand written note, which was composed in Welsh, English and Breton, reflecting Lleuwen's Welsh heritage and her current home of Brittany, she wrote: "Mae’r cyfrwn hwn yr un mor afiach a’r sawl sydd yn ei reoli o ‘ma! (Cymraeg for 'This medium is just as unhealthy as the person who controls him from here!')

"Musk ’n’ Trump are not my jam. See Linktree in bio for other ways to contact me."

She then signed out with a goodbye in Breton.

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"Enough is enough"

Lleuwen told Nation.Cymru: “Why would I stay on X knowing that it has clearly been a platform advocating for the election of Trump?

"It has served as Elon Musk’s billboard for misogyny, hate and anti-immigration lies and 200 million people follow him on X."

Lleuwen continued: "Even if you don’t follow Musk on X, one cannot escape his politics there - he spent millions of dollars on the Trump campaign and gained billions more on election day, exceeding his net worth by 10% in one single day!

"X was his number one tool in this campaign and so no,  I don’t want to be a part of this white supremacist platform.

"Enough is enough.”

Ta-ta Twitter
👋 pic.twitter.com/mPeU9YRAoK

— Lleuwen (@Lleuwen) November 7, 2024

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X Boycott

Lleuwen is not alone in her decision to leave X, with many leaving shortly after Elon Musk's controversial acquisition of the platform back in April 2022.

Reactions to the buyout were mixed, with praise for Musk's planned reforms and vision for the company, particularly his calls for greater freedom of speech, but criticism over fears of a potential rise in misinformation and disinformation, harassment, and hate speech.

Musk's changes have allegedly helped contribute to the following impacts:

• Use of the n-word tripling.
• Slurs against gay men rising by 58%.
• Slurs against trans people rising by 62%.
• Anti-Semitic tweets doubling.
• Accounts that consistently publish popular tweets containing links to misinformation receive 44% more interactions.

Within the United States, conservatives have largely supported the acquisition, while many liberals and former X employees have voiced concerns about Musk's intentions.

Since becoming owner, Musk has faced backlash for his handling of the company and account suspensions, including the December 2022 suspensions of ten journalists.

Trump

Musk threw his public support behind Trump almost immediately after the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania in July.

Musk is the world's richest man, and spent election night with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

He shared his delight at the win on X, saying: “The people of America gave @realDonaldTrump a crystal clear mandate for change tonight.”

Trump also singled out Mr Musk in his victory speech, spending several minutes praising his rocket firm, Space X.

Mr Musk's association with the president-elect also boosted the share price of his electric car maker Tesla - and, with it, his net worth, which now stands at an estimated $290bn.

With Lleuwen's tour coming to an end this month, her focus is firmly back on her music, and the continuation of her evolving Tafod Arian project which has been a critical success, described as 'of national importance'.

Read our most recent conversation with Lleuwen here, or an early response to her groundbreaking chapel tour.

Connect with Lleuwen on other platforms through her Linktree.