Twitter permanently disables Donald Trump’s account, citing risk of violence

Twitter permanently disabled the account of US President Donald Trump on Friday, saying the posts he sent during the day were “likely to inspire others to replicate the violent acts” that took place during the deadly storming of the US Capitol Building by his supporters on Wednesday.

The extraordinary closure of the US leader’s favoured means of public communication came after an earlier 12-hour suspension this week, implemented after Trump used the platform to tell those who had attacked the legislature they were “very special” and that he loved them.

Following the reinstatement of his account, Trump tweeted twice on Friday, vowing that the “great American Patriots” who voted for him would not be “disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!”

He also used the social media platform to announce that he would not be attending the inauguration of president-elect Joe Biden and vice-president-elect Kamala Harris on January 20, to which Biden responded: “One of the few things he and I have ever agreed on – it’s a good thing him not showing up.”

Twitter said in a statement that Trump’s tweets should be read “in the context of broader events in the country and the ways in which the president’s statements can be mobilised by different audiences, including to incite violence, as well as in the context of the pattern of behaviour from this account in recent weeks”.

Plans of further armed protest, including more attacks on the US Capitol and state capitol buildings were proliferating on and off the platform, the statement said.

Twitter said Trump’s tweets on Friday violated its “glorification of violence policy”, and stressed that it had warned Trump that continued violations of its rules after the earlier suspension could result in the permanent closure of his account.