Twitter Permanently Bans President Trump Over 'Risk of Further Incitement of Violence'

Twitter has permanently suspended President Donald Trump's account "due to the risk of further incitement of violence," the social media company said Friday. 

The move came "after close review of recent Tweets" made by the president, as well as the context around those tweets, Twitter said.

"In the context of horrific events this week, we made it clear on Wednesday that additional violations of the Twitter Rules would potentially result in this very course of action," Twitter's statement read. "Our public interest framework exists to enable the public to hear from elected officials and world leaders directly. It is built on a principle that the people have a right to hold power to account in the open. 

However, we made it clear going back years that these accounts are not above our rules entirely and cannot use Twitter to incite violence, among other things. We will continue to be transparent around our policies and their enforcement."

Twitter's statement also included a comprehensive analysis of its policy enforcement approach in the case.

This is the latest blowback Trump has received in the wake of the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday that killed five people, including a member of the Capitol Police Department. 

Twitter initially suspended Trump’s account for 12 hours after the Capitol storming because of tweets he made that violated the platform’s policies against glorifying violence. Twitter also warned Trump that any further violations would result in a permanent ban. Among his first tweets when he was allowed back on Twitter was the news that he would not attend President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration. 

Trump has found himself increasingly isolated and abandoned as some of his staunchest supporters have said they’re done with him. More than a dozen White House officials have resigned, including cabinet secretaries Betsy Devos and Elaine Chao.

RELATED STORIES