Twitter locks Trump out over election fraud tweets amid Capitol siege
After Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, Twitter removed three of the president’s tweets and locked his account for 12 hours, saying it may ban him if he doesn’t stop breaking its rules with his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him.
Why it matters: It’s Twitter’s strongest action against the president’s account to date. A number of groups have called on Facebook and Twitter to fully suspend Trump’s accounts.
Details: Twitter removed from view three tweets including one that included a video from the president calling on the rioters to go home but also praising them and repeating baseless claims of voter fraud.
- “As a result of the unprecedented and ongoing violent situation in Washington, D.C., we have required the removal of three @realDonaldTrump Tweets that were posted earlier today for repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy,” Twitter said in a post to its TwitterSafety account.
- Although the tweets are gone from public view, Trump will have to delete them to get his account back, Twitter said. Further rule violations could lead to the permanent suspension of his account.
- Facebook and YouTube have also taken down the video, while Facebook removed one of Trump’s most recent written posts.
The big picture: Color of Change, the Anti-Defamation League and other groups and individuals called on both Facebook and Twitter to delete the president’s account.
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