In a historic move, Twitter has taken the ultimate step to punish Donald Trump for his controversial tweets — permanently suspending his account. In this blog, we’ll explore the tweet that was the final straw and look at what it means for our society now that one of the most powerful people in the world can no longer have a platform to share his views. Get ready for an insight from both sides of the aisle.
Introduction
On January 8, 2021, Donald Trump’s Twitter account was permanently suspended due to the risk posed by some of his posts. The suspension was brought on as a result of a tweet he posted on the same date –– one that encouraged further violence in response to the disruption to the peaceful transition of power that occurred at the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. on January 6.
Trump’s tweet suggested that those who had been involved in continuing demonstrations would soon be “remembered in history” and urged future demonstrators to not “beweak.” This ran counter to Twitter’s policy against glorifying violence, which resulted in his Twitter account being permanently suspended along with other measures such as restricting access to @realDonaldTrump for some services like Periscope. This article will explore the implications of Twitter’s decision and provide further context as to why Donald Trump’s account was suspended indefinitely from the social media platform.
The Tweet that Led to Suspension
Donald Trump’s Twitter account was permanently suspended on January 8, 2021 after he received numerous warnings for violations of the platform’s Civility and Misinformation policies. The final tweet that led to the suspension was a statement posted to his account which read in part, “The 75,000,000 great American Patriots who voted for me, AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future.”
This tweet was considered dangerous because it suggested support for further violence following the riots at the Capitol. Twitter removed the tweet and warned Trump that if he failed to remove it as well as other tweets deemed as inciting violence he would face indefinite suspension from their platform. In spite of their warning however, Trump did not remove his post or modify its content in any way. For this reason, his permanent suspension from Twitter came into effect on January 8th for multiple rule violations”
The Immediate Response
In the immediate aftermath of President Donald Trump’s tweets that incited violence and ultimately led to his account suspension, the world watched in awe. There were hundreds of thousands of responses — both in support and against Trump — as people struggled to grasp the gravity of the situation. The US House Representatives swiftly denounced Trump’s rhetorical statements and voted to impeach him for a second time with a bipartisan 222-203 majority. At home, protests erupted nationwide decrying any type of violence and hate-speech in politics.
Examples included nationwide walkouts from high schools, massive rallies held weekly at legislative buildings, endless petitions for safer social media platforms, and church groups preaching peace among citizens. On an international scale, other countries expressed shock over America’s inability to keep its citizens safe from domestic terrorists. Germany and France released joint statements condemning such rhetoric online that pushed racists agendas. In India, rallies erupted supporting free speech and democratic values even while decrying what events had occurred (a remarkable rise in anti-American sentiment).
Permanent Suspension of Trump’s Twitter Account
On January 8th, 2021, Twitter permanently suspended the personal account of then-President Donald Trump due to the risk his tweets posed to public safety. This was the first time Twitter had taken action against a high-profile account and it marked a dramatic break with its history. The suspension was made in response to two particular tweets, both of which were seen as violations of Twitter’s Gloabl Safety Rules. The first tweet violated Twitter’s civic integrity policy, while the second tweet violated its glorification violence policy. Following these violations, Twitter responded by removing the violating tweets and suspending President Trump’s account permanently.
In addition to these measures, Twitter also added an interstitial page that prevented people from viewing or interacting with President Trump’s tweets. On this interstitial page, users were directed to information about why their account was suspended and what Twitter is doing about it. Furthermore, any attempts to screenshot or retweet President Trump’s blocked content were also blocked by a notice from Twitter saying that “screenshots of Tweets or Retweets are not permitted.”
The Impact of Trump’s Suspension
The suspension of Donald Trump’s account on Twitter has, unsurprisingly, led to a lot of discussion regarding the implications of his removal from the platform. Supporters contend that this move was a denial of Trump’s right to free speech. Critics point to the numerous violations of Twitter’s terms of service and community guidelines, which were committed by the President on a regular basis while in office. Regardless, many experts argue that Twitter’s suspension of President Trump had tangible consequences.
It served as a reminder that those sitting in positions of power can also be held accountable for their actions – and words – on social media. The Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who initially hesitated to be outspoken against Trump after his election defeat, publicly agreed that he supported “an appropriate disciplinary action” against Trump due to his “long pattern” on social media “of inflammatory rhetoric without any content value.”
Conclusion
The overview of the twelve tweets from Donald Trump determined that they violated Twitter’s Glorification of Violence policy. As a result, Twitter decided to permanently suspend his account due to the severity and breadth of the violations. While this decision has caused significant backlash, it was made because of the clear and immediate threat posed by Trump’s tweets and their ability to further incite violence. Twitter’s suspension of Donald Trump’s account is an important step towards making social media safer for everyone.
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