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- Twitter users are calling on the platform to suspend President Donald Trump’s account as a mob of pro-Trump rioters stormed the US Capitol Wednesday while lawmakers worked to certify the 2020 presidential election results.
- One user, who said she serves on Twitter’s Trust and Safety Board, said the “time is now” to suspend Trump’s account after he “has deliberately incited violence, causing mayhem with his lies and threats.”
- Trump has been afforded certain protections on Twitter per the company’s policies around world leaders, a privilege that will be stripped when President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on January 20.
- Pro-Trump protesters have swarmed the grounds around the US Capitol and breached the doors of the federal building, prompting lawmakers and Vice President Mike Pence to evacuate.
- One woman has been shot, and multiple police officers were seen with injuries evacuating the Capitol.
- Trump has yet to ask his supporters to retreat from the US Capitol, only tweeting for them to “remain peaceful.”
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Twitter users are once again calling on the platform to suspend President Donald Trump’s account, as pro-Trump rioters have breached the walls of the US Capitol in Washington, DC.
Twitter users addressed the tech company and its CEO Jack Dorsey directly to call for Trump’s mouthpiece to be pulled on the platform. Danielle Citron, who said she has served on Twitter’s Trust and Safety Board since it was founded, called on Dorsey to take action.
Trump “has deliberately incited violence, causing mayhem with his lies and threats,” Citron said, also saying that the “time is now” to suspend his Twitter account.
—Danielle Citron (@daniellecitron) January 6, 2021
Investor Chriss Sacca also directed his comments to Dorsey: “For four years you’ve rationalized terror,” Sacca tweeted. And actor Josh Gad also tagged Dorsey and Twitter, called for them to “pull the chord [sic]” on Trump now. “Don’t be complicit in the violence he is instigating,” Gad said.
Trump as a world leader has been afforded certain privileges on Twitter’s platform according to the company’s policies. Twitter sees tweets from public leaders as being in the public interest, even if the content of those posts violates guidelines.
Trump has spouted baseless claims of election fraud on Twitter, prompting the platform to label his posts with warning banners for viewers. The company decided to fact-check one of President Trump’s tweets in which he falsely claimed that mail-in voting will be “substantially fraudulent” and will lead to a “Rigged Election.” It was the first time that Twitter ever publicly flagged an online post as misleading.
Pro-Trump protesters stormed the US Capitol grounds as the House worked to certify the 2020 presidential election results, which will see President-elect Joe Biden take office on January 20. The Capitol is now on lockdown.
Trump has yet to urge his supporters to back down from storming the halls of the capitol, only asking them via his Twitter account to “remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order – respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!”
Lawmakers and Pence have evacuated the House of Representatives as rioters breached the Capitol walls, and some lawmakers with military experience have condemned the protest as a “coup attempt.” One woman has been shot, and some police officers that were involved in quelling the riots were seen injured and evacuating the federal building.
On Wednesday, before the protests at the Capitol devolved into riots, Vice President Mike Pence broke from Trump’s wishes and refused to overturn the election results. Trump took to Twitter to say Pence “didn’t have the courage” to do so.
—Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2021
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is a Republican, also strongly pushed back against Trump’s demands to overturn the election on the Senate floor Wednesday.
“If this election were overturned by the losing side, our democracy would enter a death spiral,” McConnell said.
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