DeSantis says it would be a 'raw exercise of monopolistic power' for Apple to yank Twitter from App Store and would warrant a congressional response

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Tuesday that if Apple bans Twitter from its App Store, the move would be a "huge mistake and ... raw exercise of monopolistic power" that would warrant a response by the U.S. Congress.

Elon Musk, the billionaire business magnate who bought Twitter earlier this year, noted last week that he would support DeSantis for president in 2024. Earlier this month, former President Donald Trump announced a 2024 White House bid, but DeSantis, a Republican who just won reelection in the Sunshine State, has not announced plans to pursue the presidency.

Watch: Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during visit to Jacksonvilleyoutu.be

"Apple has also threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store, but won’t tell us why," Musk tweeted on Monday — last week he indicated that if Apple and Google were to boot Twitter from their app stores, he would develop "an alternative phone."

Musk has indicated that he wants Twitter to be a forum for free speech. Since taking over the social media company, he has already reinstated some accounts, including the account of former President Donald Trump. Musk has said that the platform will grant amnesty to previously suspended accounts that had not violated the law or perpetrated "egregious spam."

Twitter has also apparently stopped enforcing its COVID-19-related censorship policy. "Effective November 23, 2022, Twitter is no longer enforcing the COVID-19 misleading information policy," the company has noted.

"The Twitter Files on free speech suppression soon to be published on Twitter itself. The public deserves to know what really happened …" Musk tweeted on Monday. "This is a battle for the future of civilization. If free speech is lost even in America, tyranny is all that lies ahead," he tweeted.