WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (US) – Citing the risk of further incitement of violence, Twitter Inc said on Friday that it has permanently suspended the account of President Donald Trump. This comes after the storming of the US Capitol on Wednesday.
Trump had more than 88 million followers on Twitter and the silencing of the president on this social media platform comes just days before his term comes to an end.
“After a close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence,” the company said.
It also confirmed that it was for the first time a head of state was being banned.
In the wake of the incidents in Washington, DC, some social media firms took quick action to crack down on Trump and his key right-wing supporters and allies.
The president has repeatedly made use of Twitter and other platforms to claim that he lost the election because of rampant malpractice and has shared other conspiracy theories. He also urged supporters to come to Washington on Wednesday and march on the Capitol to protest against the election result.
Earlier this week, Facebook announced that it was suspending his account until the end of his term.
Trump is expected to hand over office to Democratic President-elect Joe Biden on Jan. 20.
Twitter said on Friday in a blog post that two of Trump’s tweets that day violated its policy against the glorification of violence.
On Wednesday, Twitter had temporarily blocked Trump’s account and warned that more violations would end in permanent suspension.
The president was required to delete three tweets before this account was unblocked. Trump came back to Twitter on Thursday with a video acknowledging Biden would be the next president of the US.
The social media firm said that Trump’s tweet that he would abstain from the inauguration of Biden was seen by a number of his supporters as confirmation that the election was illegitimate.
The firm also said another tweet hailing “American Patriots” and saying his supporters “will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!” could be seen as “further indication that President Trump does not plan to facilitate an orderly transition.”
Social media platform critics and Democrats praised the action of Twitter and said it was long overdue. On the other hand, Trump supporters expressed outrage.
His son Donald Trump Jr. tweeted on Friday decrying the ban, saying dictators who had threatened genocide continued to have Twitter accounts. However, he abstained from naming anyone.
