Twitter has taken action against another of Donald Trump’s tweets, this time hiding one from view because it breaks site rules around glorifying violence.
A warning label has been placed over a tweet by the US president related to the protests in the city of Minneapolis after the death of a black man in police custody.
Mr Trump had said he would “send in the National Guard” to end the protests, before adding in a second tweet that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts”.
….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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2020
That second tweet has now been covered with a message from Twitter which says it violates the site’s rules around glorifying violence, with users now required to click on the message in order to see the tweet.
It comes after the social media site added fact-checking labels to two Trump tweets earlier this week after the president made unsubstantiated claims about postal voting in the US.
In response, the president accused social media sites of censorship and being biased against him and other conservatives.
On Thursday, Mr Trump signed an executive order which aimed to remove some of the legal protections given to social media platforms in the US.
Twitter said the order was a political move which attacked free speech.
This EO is a reactionary and politicized approach to a landmark law. #Section230 protects American innovation and freedom of expression, and it’s underpinned by democratic values. Attempts to unilaterally erode it threaten the future of online speech and Internet freedoms.
— Twitter Public Policy (@Policy) May 29, 2020
“This EO is a reactionary and politicised approach to a landmark law,” the company said in a statement.
“#Section230 protects American innovation and freedom of expression, and it’s underpinned by democratic values.
“Attempts to unilaterally erode it threaten the future of online speech and Internet freedoms.”
It is currently unclear what impact the executive order will have on Twitter and wider social media use around the world.
