Psaki says Biden 'concerned' about Musk Twitter buyout, supports social media accountability

White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Monday said President Joe Biden is "concerned" about social media, in response to a question about Elon Musk's deal to purchase Twitter.

Psaki first insisted she would not comment on a specific deal or the prospect of President Donald Trump returning to the platform after his lifetime ban.

"No matter who owns or runs Twitter, the president has long been concerned about the power of large social media platforms, the power they have over our everyday lives, that tech platforms must be held accountable for the harm they cause," Psaki continued.

Biden "has been a strong supporter of fundamental reforms" to social media, Psaki said.

Reuters reporter Andrea Shalal pressed Psaki further about the purchase during the press conference.

"Are you concerned about the purveyors of election misinformation, disinformation, health falsehoods... having more of an opportunity to speak there on Twitter? Is there... any message that you would convey to Elon Musk as the new owner?" she asked, adding that publicly-traded companies are at "different levels of scrutiny" compared to private companies.

"I would say our concerns are not new, including Twitter and others, in order to spread misinformation, disinformation, the need for these platforms to be held accountable," Psaki responded. 

"At this point we don't have any sense of what the policies will look like," the press secretary followed up.

The news broke during the White House press conference on Monday that Musk came to a deal to buy Twitter for $44 billion.