Billionaire Elon Musk said on Tuesday he would reverse Twitter's ban on former U.S. President Donald Trump when he buys the social media platform, the clearest signal yet of Musk's intention to cut moderation of the site.

Musk, the world's richest person and chief executive of electric-vehicle maker Tesla Inc., has inked a $44 billion deal to buy Twitter Inc. He has called himself a "free speech absolutist," but given few specific details of his plans.

Musk is expected to become Twitter's temporary CEO after closing the deal, Reuters previously reported, citing a source familiar with the matter.