President Donald Trump will have to find other ways to spread his hate speech after social media platforms blocked his access for at least 24 hours.
Trump may have incited the US Capitol violence
The outgoing president’s tumultuous relationship with Twitter HQ is well-documented. At least one in every two tweets from Trump’s personal Twitter account — since the start of the 2020 elections — has been flagged for disinformation or hate speech.
The latter, it’s believed, is the catalyst to the shocking events that unfolded inside the US Capitol building in Washington DC, on Wednesday.
Scores of Trump supporters stormed into the building, accusing Democrat lawmakers of ‘stealing’ the election, as Congress huddled to officiate Joe Biden as the next US president.
Joe Biden and Trump release statements after US Capitol riots
Biden implored Americans to remain calm amid these unprecedented times, chalking the blame of the US Capitol riots on “a small number of extremists dedicated to lawlessness.”
Let me be very clear: the scenes of chaos at the Capitol do not represent who we are. What we are seeing is a small number of extremists dedicated to lawlessness. This is not dissent, it's disorder. It borders on sedition, and it must end. Now.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) January 6, 2021
Trump also released a statement after the riots, where four people were killed. The outgoing president failed to condemn the actions of his supporters, opting for a tone deaf call for his people to “respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue.”
I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order – respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2021
Social media shuts down Trump for 24 hours
To play their part in silencing the influence of Trump on millions of his supremist supporters, social media platforms restricted the president from posting, for at least 24 hours.
Twitter gave Trump 12 hours to remove tweets that violate the platform’s Civic Integrity Policy. Failure to do so will result in the president’s account remaining locked indefinitely.
This means that the account of @realDonaldTrump will be locked for 12 hours following the removal of these Tweets. If the Tweets are not removed, the account will remain locked.
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) January 7, 2021
Facebook and Instagram also blocked Trump from using the apps.
JUST IN: President Trump to be banned from posting on Facebook for 24 hours
— The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) January 7, 2021
JUST IN: Instagram set to lock President Trump's account for 24 hours
— The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) January 7, 2021
At the time this article was published, debates on the result of the electoral college vote were ongoing with the expectation that Biden will be announced as America’s next president.