Trump threatens to ‘close down’ social media platforms after Twitter adds fact-check warning
- Two of US president’s posts on mail-in ballots were labelled with blue exclamation mark prompting readers to ‘get the facts’
- Trump fires back saying that Twitter is interfering with presidential election and ‘stifling free speech’
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to close down social media platforms after Twitter labelled two of his tweets “unsubstantiated” and accused him of making false claims.
“Republicans feel that Social Media Platforms totally silence conservatives voices. We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen,” Trump tweeted.
The social media giant targeted two tweets the president posted on Tuesday in which he contended without evidence that mail-in voting would lead to fraud and a “Rigged Election”.
Under the tweets, Twitter posted a link which read “Get the facts about mail-in ballots” and which took users to a notice calling the claims “unsubstantiated”, citing reporting by CNN, The Washington Post and other media.
“Trump falsely claimed that mail-in ballots would lead to ‘Rigged Election’,” the notice contended. “However, fact-checkers say there is no evidence that mail-in ballots are linked to voter fraud.”
The move drew a furious response from Trump, who used the platform to accuse Twitter of “interfering in the 2020 Presidential Election”.