Twitter locked President Donald Trump’s account Wednesday, saying he must delete tweets regarding a mob of his supporters storming the U.S. Capitol.
Twitter has routinely placed disclaimers on Trump’s tweets challenging the results of the 2020 election. The company now says it has locked out the president from tweeting until he deletes three Wednesday tweets regarding his supporters storming the U.S. Capitol. Regardless of whether he deletes the tweets, his account will remain locked for 12 hours.
As a result of the unprecedented and ongoing violent situation in Washington, D.C., we have required the removal of three @realDonaldTrump Tweets that were posted earlier today for repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy. https://t.co/k6OkjNG3bM
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) January 7, 2021
This means that the account of @realDonaldTrump will be locked for 12 hours following the removal of these Tweets. If the Tweets are not removed, the account will remain locked.
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) January 7, 2021
Twitter added that further infringements on its policies after the suspension would result in a permanent ban.
Future violations of the Twitter Rules, including our Civic Integrity or Violent Threats policies, will result in permanent suspension of the @realDonaldTrump account.
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) January 7, 2021
“We’ll continue to evaluate the situation in real time, including examining activity on the ground and statements made off Twitter. We will keep the public informed, including if further escalation in our enforcement approach is necessary,” the company added.
The tweets in question were a video of Trump urging the mob to go home peacefully, but also asserting that their anger was justified and the election was “fraudulent.” A subsequent tweet said the mob attacking the Capitol was simply “what happens” when an election is “viciously” stolen.
Trump’s promised to march with his supporters to Capitol Hill to protest President-Elect Joe Biden’s election victory earlier Wednesday. Protesters broke into the Capitol as the Senate was in session, throwing the certification of Biden’s win into chaos even as Vice President Mike Pence said he would not intervene.
Trump called alleged dumps of Biden votes on election night “explosions of bullshit” during his speech Wednesday afternoon to his supporters. The speech was delivered before the protesters stormed the Capitol (RELATED: Rudy Giuliani Says America Needs ‘Trial By Combat’ To Decide Election)
Reports say Capitol police were forced to use tear gas on rioters inside the Capitol building and officers drew firearms inside the House chamber. Protesters broke through windows and police barricades to access the Senate chamber, where one protester ascended to the dais and yelled “Trump won.”
Trump and his campaign have filed roughly 40 lawsuits since Nov. 3 challenging the election result, all of which failed due to lack of evidence.
Officials have now declared the Capitol secure and lawmakers plan to finish proceedings.