ROSEMONT, Illinois – United States President Joe Biden said on Friday that billionaire Elon Musk had purchased a social media platform in Twitter that spews lies across the world.

Twitter laid off half its workforce on Friday, but said cuts were smaller in the team responsible for preventing the spread of misinformation, as advertisers pulled spending amid concerns about content moderation.

Mr Biden said at a fund raiser: “And now what are we all worried about: Elon Musk goes out and buys an outfit that sends – that spews lies all across the world... There are no editors any more in America. There are no editors. How do we expect kids to be able to understand what is at stake?“

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters earlier that Mr Biden had been clear about the need to reduce hate speech and misinformation.

“That belief extends to Twitter; it extends to Facebook and any other social media platforms where users can spread misinformation,” she said.

Mr Musk has promised to restore free speech while preventing Twitter from descending into a “hellscape”.

But major advertisers have expressed apprehension about his takeover for months. REUTERS