President Donald Trump warned U.S. social media giants Wednesday that Republicans are planning to “strongly regulate” the platforms because of what he calls their anti-conservative bias.
Trump’s Wednesday tweets come less than a day after Twitter placed fact-check labels on two of his tweets for the first time. The tweets pertained to mail-in ballots, which Trump and Republicans say encourage voter fraud. Twitter labelled the tweets “potentially misleading,” leading to Trump accusing the company of interfering in the election.
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. We saw what they attempted to do, and failed, in 2016. We can’t let a more sophisticated version of that….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 27, 2020
….happen again. Just like we can’t let large scale Mail-In Ballots take root in our Country. It would be a free for all on cheating, forgery and the theft of Ballots. Whoever cheated the most would win. Likewise, Social Media. Clean up your act, NOW!!!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 27, 2020
Trump has previously threatened to withhold federal funding from states who choose to rely on mail-in ballots, but Democrats say the practice is necessary due to coronavirus. Republicans argue the integrity of the election would be compromised and that polling places can operate safely under social distancing guidelines the same way grocery stores and other essential businesses have for weeks or months.
Trump was making waves about potential social media regulation before Twitter’s fact check, however. It was reported Saturday that Trump was considering the formation of a panel to handle complaints of anti-conservative bias on social media, according to the Wall St. Journal.
The Radical Left is in total command & control of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google. The Administration is working to remedy this illegal situation. Stay tuned, and send names & events. Thank you Michelle! https://t.co/ZQfcfD3Hk9
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 16, 2020
“We enforce the Twitter Rules impartially for all users, regardless of their background or political affiliation. We are constantly working to improve our systems and will continue to be transparent and in regular communication with elected officials in regard to our efforts,” Twitter said in a statement to WSJ. (RELATED: Twitter Says It Will Not Remove Trump’s Tweets About Scarborough’s Dead Intern)