[gtranslate]
News

Twitter bans Donald Trump while other social media giants suspend his accounts

In news that should’ve happened a while ago, Donald Trump’s access to his Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch accounts have been blocked until the end of his presidency.

UPDATE: Twitter have permanently banned Donald Trump’s @RealDonaldTrump account, “due to the risk of further incitement of violence.” The account had 88 million followers, but now simply reads “Account Suspended”.

Donald Trump‘s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch accounts have been suspended until the end of his presidency to prevent him from spreading any further lies, conspiracies, and inciting any more violence.

The news comes after a dreadful invasion of Washington’s Capitol building by Trump supporters, fuelled by the belief that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent.

Mark Zuckerberg
Photo: Justin Sullivan

Facebook had already imposed a temporary ban on the ex-president after his toxic rhetoric led his devout followers to riot. However, the social media giant has now extended its ban to the end of his presidency on January 20th – a date that cannot come soon enough.

Effective immediately, the cross-platform ban, including Instagram, will block Trump from posting or sharing stories on either site.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a statement on his personal account to announce and explain the decision to extend the ban.

“The shocking events of the last 24 hours clearly demonstrate that President Donald Trump intends to use his remaining time in office to undermine the peaceful and lawful transition of power to his elected successor, Joe Biden,” he wrote.

“His decision to use his platform to condone rather than condemn the actions of his supporters at the Capitol building has rightly disturbed people in the US and around the world.”

Live streaming platform Twitch has also suspended his account indefinitely due to Trump’s “incendiary rhetoric.”

“In light of yesterday’s shocking attack on the Capitol, we have disabled President Trump’s Twitch channel. Given the current extraordinary circumstances and the President’s incendiary rhetoric, we believe this is a necessary step to protect our community and prevent Twitch from being used to incite further violence,” a statement from the platform read.

“We are focused on minimizing harm leading up to the transition of government and will reassess his account after he leaves office.”