“After a detailed analysis of recent tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them, we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement to violence,” said Twitter.
“In the context of horrific events this week, we made it clear on Wednesday that further violations of the Twitter Rules would potentially result in this course of action.”
Twitter’s decision followed two tweets from Trump on Friday afternoon that would end up being the last. The tweets violate company policy against the glorification of violence, Twitter said, and “these two tweets should be read in the context of broader events in the country and in 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 of that report in recent weeks. “
The first tweet was about Trump supporters.
“The 75 million great American patriots who voted for me, AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, will have a GIANT VOICE in the future. They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form !!!”
The second indicated that Trump did not plan to attend Joe Biden’s inauguration.
“To all who asked, I will not be inaugurated on the 20th of January.”
Twitter said the ownership tweet could be seen as yet another statement that the election was not legitimate. He also said the tweet could be interpreted as Trump saying the inauguration would be a “safe” target for violence because he would not be present.
Trump’s other statement about American patriots suggested that “he plans to continue to support, empower and protect those who believe he won the election,” said Twitter.
The Twitter ban specifically addresses “the @realDonaldTrump account”, not Trump personally.
Twitter will apply its policy against evasion of ban to ensure that Trump does not bypass the suspension of his personal account, the company told CNN.
“If it becomes clear that another account is being used to avoid a ban, it is also subject to suspension,” said Twitter in a statement. “For government accounts such as @POTUS and @WhiteHouse, we will not suspend these accounts, but we will take steps to limit their use. However, these accounts will be transferred to the new administration in due course and will not be suspended by Twitter unless absolutely necessary. necessary to alleviate real-world damage. “
Trump tried to test Twitter’s evasion ban policy around 8:30 pm on Friday, when he or someone acting on his behalf posted four tweets from the @POTUS account.
“As I have said for a long time, Twitter has gone even further in banning freedom of expression and, tonight, Twitter officials coordinated with Democrats and the radical left to remove my account from its platform, to silence me” , Trump tweeted.
The tweets disappeared almost instantly.
Twitter told CNN that the Trump campaign account was also banned permanently. Before @TeamTrump was suspended, he shared the same topic of four tweets that Trump tried to post from the @POTUS account.
Civil rights leaders who have long criticized technology platforms for spreading hate speech and division have welcomed Twitter’s decision.
Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, called this an “excellent step”.
“A fitting ending to a legacy of hate and vitriol,” said Greenblatt. “President Trump incited violent riots on the Capitol using social media and paid the price.”
Eric Naing, a spokesman for Muslim Advocates, said Twitter “is showing real leadership”.
“As Twitter notes, letting Trump continue to post tweets, Facebook and YouTube videos to his white nationalist supporters risks ‘further incitement to violence,'” Naing said. “Now it’s up to Facebook and Google / YouTube to follow Twitter’s example.”