Donald Trump’s Twitter page risks ‘permanent suspension’; Facebook, YouTube remove his video calling rioters ‘very special’

Twitter-loving President Donald Trump could face a permanent ban after the platform took down a series of tweets he made amid the U.S. Capitol siege Wednesday. Facebook has made a similar move while YouTube removed a video where he addressed the rioters and called them “very special” people.

Donald Trump is locked out of Twitter weeks before end of his presidency

Two of Trump’s latest tweets related to the U.S. Capitol siege have been taken down after Twitter found them in violation of its “Civic Integrity policy.” In the same announcement thread posted on Jan. 6 at around 8 p.m. ET, Twitter confirmed that his page (@realDonaldTrump) has been locked for 12 hours.

Screenshot from Twitter/@realDonaldTrump

“We prohibit attempts to use our services to manipulate or disrupt civic processes, including through the distribution of false or misleading information about the procedures or circumstances around participation in a civic process,” the policy reads. The rioters stormed the Capitol building as the Congress convened to certify the Electoral College votes that decided Joe Biden’s win in last year’s election.

As of this writing, Sen. Mitch McConnell and Rep. Nancy Pelosi have both confirmed that the Senate and House will reconvene to proceed with the only remaining post-election process before Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20. Meanwhile, Twitter warned that Trump could face a “permanent suspension” if his future tweets will violate the platform’s Civic Integrity or Violent Threats policies. The Twitter page in question is Trump’s personal account created in March 2009 and has been his apparent preferred channel for his messages after he was elected in 2016.

Facebook, YouTube remove Trump’s video telling rioters ‘we love you’

One of the posts Twitter took down was a pre-recorded video where Trump addressed the rioters. While not backing down on his refuted election fraud claims, Trump also told his supporters to go home. He then closed the message by telling the mob, “We love you, you’re very special.”

The said video has also been removed from Trump’s YouTube channel. However, the video-sharing platform told Variety that re-uploaded copies with added context may be retained for “educational, documentary, scientific or artistic” purposes.

Before 10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Facebook also announced that Trump’s page has been locked for the next 24 hours due to “two policy violations.” In a lengthier statement, Facebook said it has also been taking down posts that praise the Capitol siege and other malicious content related to the U.S. elections. “At this point they represent promotion of criminal activity which violates our policies,” Facebook execs said.

Featured photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash