Twitter permanently suspends Donald Trump's account
Both Twitter and Facebook have now banned the President's accounts. File Picture
Twitter has permanently suspended the account of US President Donald Trump.
The social media giant announced the move on Friday.
Citing the President’s recent seemingly positive comments about his supporters, those who stormed the US Capitol Building in Washington on Tuesday, Twitter says it was taking the action due to a "risk of further incitement of violence."
Twitter had placed an initial 12-hour ban on President Trump's account in the wake of Tuesday's events.
Following that suspension, the company said Trump would be banned permanently if he continued to violate the platform’s rules.
Now, Twitter has stated two recent tweets posted by the President have indeed violated those terms.
The two tweets cited by the company were:
and,
These tweets, Twitter says, "must be read in the context of broader events" in the United States.
"The ways in which the President’s statements can be mobilized by different audiences, including to incite violence, as well as in the context of the pattern of behavior from this account in recent weeks," the company wrote in a blog post announcing the measure.
"After assessing the language in these Tweets against our Glorification of Violence policy, we have determined that these Tweets are in violation of the Glorification of Violence Policy and the user @realDonaldTrump should be immediately permanently suspended from the service."
Twitter says its determination was based on a number of factors.
Firstly, it says President Trump’s statement that he would not be attending Joe Biden's inauguration was "being received by a number of his supporters as further confirmation that the election was not legitimate."
"The second Tweet may also serve as encouragement to those potentially considering violent acts that the Inauguration would be a “safe” target, as he will not be attending," the blog post reads.
"The use of the words 'American Patriots' to describe some of his supporters is also being interpreted as support for those committing violent acts at the US Capitol.
"The mention of his supporters having a 'GIANT VOICE long into the future' and that 'they will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!' is being interpreted as further indication that President Trump does not plan to facilitate an 'orderly transition' and instead that he plans to continue to support, empower, and shield those who believe he won the election."
The social media giant says it is aware of "plans for future armed protests" already proliferating "on and off-Twitter", including a proposed secondary attack on the US Capitol and other governmental buildings in Washington on January 17.
"As such, our determination is that the two Tweets above are likely to inspire others to replicate the violent acts that took place on January 6, and that there are multiple indicators that they are being received and understood as encouragement to do so," the post added.
Twitter is the second major social media platform to outright ban the accounts of the US President.
On Thursday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that his platform, along with Instagram, was suspending Donald Trump's accounts.
"We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great," Mr Zuckerberg wrote on his personal Facebook page.
"Therefore, we are extending the block we have placed on his Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks until the peaceful transition of power is complete."
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