Facebook Bans Donald Trump Through End of His Presidency
“We believe the risks of allowing the president to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great.”
Facebook announced this Thursday that it will be barring President Donald Trump from posting until the end of his presidency or even longer. For months, Trump has utilized his social media networks to spread misinformation on his presidential election loss. Facebook‘s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, expressed in a statement that removing Trump’s post is not sufficient as the president has incited mob violence on the U.S. Capitol, as per The New York Times.
“We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great,” Zuckerberg wrote. “Therefore, we are extending the block we have placed on his Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks until the peaceful transition of power is complete.”
This past Wednesday, Trump supporters invaded the U.S. Capitol building aiming to stop the counting of electoral college votes with lawmakers and experts describing the mob as “domestic terrorists,” as per Washington Post. “Those who performed these reprehensible acts cannot be called protesters; no, these were rioters and insurrectionists, goons and thugs, domestic terrorists,” said Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer in a speech. “They do not represent America.”
Not long ago, Twitter ordered Trump to remove three posts and suspended his account for 12 hours. Twitter officials also expressed that if Trump continues to spread misinformation about the election and amplify violence, he will be permanently banned from the social network.
Facebook and Twitter barring Trump from their platforms arrives on the last days of his term following years of protests by civil rights groups and researchers to ban the president amid violations of their platform rules.
