Twitter Marks President Trump's Tweet With Tag Warning About "Violence"
Twitter hid a tweet by U.S. President Donald Trump behind a warning on Friday, accusing him of breaking its rules by “glorifying violence” in a message that said looters at protests in Minneapolis would be shot.
Twitter wrote on the tag for Trump's Tweet:
"This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about glorifying violence. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible."
The hidden tween can be seen only after hitting the notice.
Trump’s tweet tagged by Twitter read: “...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!”
Twitter’s decision to step in escalates a feud between Trump and tech companies, and comes at a time of racially charged civil unrest in cities across the United States over the death of George Floyd, a black man seen on video gasping for breath while a white police officer knelt on his neck.
Trump responded by accusing the company of targeting him, Republicans and other conservatives for censorship. He threatened to impose new regulation on internet companies and called on Congress to revoke a law that protects online platforms from lawsuits over content.
Twitter said CEO Jack Dorsey had been informed of the decision to tag Trump’s tweet before the label was applied.
Just yesterday, Trump signed an executive order threatening Silicon Valley social media firms with new free speech regulations.
“Twitter is doing nothing about all of the lies & propaganda being put out by China or the Radical Left Democrat Party. They have targeted Republicans, Conservatives & the President of the United States. Section 230 should be revoked by Congress. Until then, it will be regulated!” Trump tweeted on Friday.
Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg took pains to distance his company from Twitter and its fight with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday.
“We have a different policy I think than Twitter on this,” Zuckerberg told Fox News, Trump’s preferred broadcaster.
Both sites take down content that violates their terms of service, but Facebook’s approach, he said, has “distinguished us from some of the other tech companies in terms of being stronger on free expression and giving people a voice.”
While Facebook does apply labels to misleading posts, it exempts from review posts by politicians, a decision that some lawmakers and presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden say helps lies to flourish online.