Twitter will not allow former president Donald Trump back on the platform, even if he runs for office again, the company’s chief financial officer has said.
Key points:
- Twitter says its policies aim to stop people inciting violence
- Donald Trump’s ban came after a violent uprising by his supporters which ended in a deadly siege at the US Capitol on January 6
- He had more than 80 million followers when his account was suspended
Mr Trump’s ban came after a violent uprising by his supporters led to a deadly siege at the US Capitol on January 6.
After the event, he referred to those responsible as “very special” and continued to repeat baseless claims about election fraud.
Five people died in the riot, including Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, whose death is now the subject of a homicide investigation.
Facebook and other social networks also banned Mr Trump after the incident, which formed the basis for the Republican party member’s current impeachment trial.
Twitter cited the “risk of further incitement of violence” and Mr Trump’s past breaches of the company’s rules as the reason for their decision.
“And if anybody does that we would have to remove them from the service and our policies don’t allow people to come back.”
Mr Trump was a prolific user of Twitter during his campaign and in his four years at the White House, using the platform for policy announcements, to settle scores and for his political campaign.
During and after the 2020 election campaign, Twitter added a fact-check link under many of his tweets, including ones that called mail-in ballots “fraudulent” and allegations that the result had been “rigged”.
Ban came after ominous tweets about future
Mr Trump’s account had just been reinstated following a 12-hour freeze, when Twitter again reviewed the former American leader’s tweets, ultimately deciding to block them permanently last month.
“In the context of horrific events this week, we made it clear on Wednesday that additional violations of the Twitter rules would potentially result in this very course of action,” a statement from the company said, noting that “the people have a right to hold power to account in the open”.
“However, we made it clear going back years that these accounts are not above our rules entirely and cannot use Twitter to incite violence, among other things.”
Loading
The platform cited two tweets posted by Mr Trump on January 8, which it said “must be read in the context of broader events in the country and the ways in which the President’s statements can be mobilised by different audiences, including to incite violence”.
In one, Mr Trump wrote the “great American patriots” who voted for him “will have a giant voice long into the future”, adding “they will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form”.
It was followed by a second tweet shortly thereafter, in which Mr Trump said he would not attend the inauguration of president-elect Joe Biden on January 20.
Twitter Safety said it had determined the tweets were in violation of its glorification of violence policy, opting to permanently suspend the former president from its service.
Mr Trump had more than 80 million followers when his account was suspended.
AFP/ABC
— to www.abc.net.au
