London, May 21 (IANS): Evan Williams, former CEO and co-founder of Twitter, has publicly apologised for the role the micro blogging site might have played in the election of Donald Trump as US president, media reported.

Trump indicated in March that Twitter played an important role in his election. When asked about that remark, Williams in an interview told the New York Times, "It's a very bad thing, Twitter's role in that."

"If it's true that he wouldn't be President if it weren't for Twitter, then yeah, I'm sorry," Williams said.

Trump has 30 million followers on his personal account on the platform and was known as a prolific tweeter well before he announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination for presidency, independent.co.uk reported on Saturday.

Since entering the White House and taking control of the @POTUS (President of the United States) Twitter handle, he has 17 million followers of that account.

The platform was used extensively by his supporters during the presidential poll to advocate him and to denounce Hillary Clinton.

His detractors also well utilised the platform.

"I think that maybe I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Twitter, because I get such a fake press, such a dishonest press. I mean, if you look at -- and I'm not including Fox, because I think Fox has been fair to me, but if you look at CNN and if you look at these other networks," Trump told Fox News in March.