by Chris White
Twitter censored the White House’s official Twitter account after it shared and quoted a President Donald Trump tweet Friday that the company’s moderators hit for “glorifying violence.”
The account shared a tweet Trump composed early Friday morning in which he called people rioting and looting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, “THUGS” and suggested that he will send in the military, adding that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” Twitter hid Trump’s tweet under a banner noting that the post violates company rules against glorifying violence.
“These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!” a tweet from the White House’s official account reads, quoting the president.
“These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!” https://t.co/GDwAydcAOw
— The White House 45 Archived (@WhiteHouse45) May 29, 2020
Twitter did not remove Trump’s tweet, arguing that it is in the “public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible.” The platform applied the same label to the White House’s post, limiting who can comment and like the post while allowing users to share the tweet widely.
“These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!” https://t.co/GDwAydcAOw
— The White House 45 Archived (@WhiteHouse45) May 29, 2020
Twitter placed a “fact check” label on a Trump tweet Tuesday in which he alleged that California’s mail-in ballot is “fraudulent.” The president signed an executive order Thursday calling for social media platforms to lose their protection from legal liability if they engage in censorship.
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Chris White is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation.