Twitter Hides Trump Tweet, Claiming It Is 'Glorifying Violence'
As President Donald Trump lashed out early Friday at the lawless rioting sending Minneapolis into a tailspin, Twitter continued its battle with the president by hiding one of his tweets.
“I can’t stand back & watch this happen to a great American City, Minneapolis,” Trump tweeted after the third night of chaos erupted in Minnesota.
“A total lack of leadership. Either the very weak Radical Left Mayor, Jacob Frey, get his act together and bring the City under control, or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right,” he added, setting up the tweet that made Twitter flutter.
“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!” Trump wrote.
….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
Twitter, which had slapped fact-checking labels on two Trump tweets earlier in the week, then struck back.
Twitter hid Trump’s tweet containing the word “thugs,” which meant that in order to read the tweet, users had to first read a message criticizing the post, which was not taken down.
“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 social media giant wrote.
The company later explained that it was not the word “thugs” that inspired its action.
“This Tweet violates our policies regarding the glorification of violence based on the historical context of the last line, its connection to violence, and the risk it could inspire similar actions today,” Twitter posted.
This Tweet violates our policies regarding the glorification of violence based on the historical context of the last line, its connection to violence, and the risk it could inspire similar actions today. https://t.co/sl4wupRfNH
— Twitter Comms (@TwitterComms) May 29, 2020
In 1967, Miami Police Chief Walter Headley announced what a United Press International article from the time described as a “crackdown on Negro slum hoodlums.”
“In declaring war on ‘young hoodlums, from 15 to 21, who have taken advantage of the civil rights campaign,’ Headley said, ‘we don’t mind being accused of police brutality,'” the outlet reported.
“Headley said Miami hasn’t been troubled with racial disturbances and looting because he let the word filter down, ‘When the looting starts, the shooting [starts].'”
Twitter also blocked users from liking or replying to Trump’s post. Users could retweet it by adding their own comments.
Later Friday morning, Trump fired back:
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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2020
Twitter’s action drew howls of protest:
Opportunistic thugs are using a man’s murder as an excuse to be violent and destructive. This tweet warns them that if they don’t stop, there will be consequences. Twitter is beyond help now.
— Idris ?????☠️? (@idris_elphaba) May 29, 2020
The President is clearly being targeted by Twitter. So now we all know what we all thought: bias against Trump/Conservatives. They have been outed for all the world to see this election cycle, Facebook/Twitter/Google are all-in to elect Joe Biden. #twitter
— Graham Ledger (@GrahamLedger) May 29, 2020
Trump on Thursday had issued an executive order targeting social media companies for unfairly censoring certain users.
The executive order will remove what’s known as a liability shield that is applied to Twitter because it has been considered a “neutral platform” rather than an “editor with a viewpoint.”
Conservatives have long insisted Twitter is biased against them.
“The president will take action to ensure that big tech does not stifle free speech and that the rights of all Americans to speak, tweet and post are protected,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Thursday.
On Tuesday, Trump had lashed out at Twitter after it claimed two of his tweets were “unsubstantiated” and slapped labels upon them claiming that its fact-checking found they crossed a line.
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