Twitter has blocked President Donald Trump from using his preferred method of communication.
The social media giant made the announcement on Friday, Jan. 8, saying it “permanently suspended” Trump’s account following the deadly insurrection Wednesday on Capitol Hill.
“After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them — specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter — we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence,” Twitter said in a statement.
Related Story: Critics Decry Police Response to MAGA Capitol Mob Compared to BLM Protesters
After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence.https://t.co/CBpE1I6j8Y
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) January 8, 2021
The statement went on to describe the decision as a matter of “public interest.”
“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,” the statement continued. “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.”
A day earlier, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Trump had been blocked “indefinitely,” and at least until his term ends in two weeks, from using the platform and sister site Instagram.
The decisions by the social media companies came after five people were killed, including Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick, on Wednesday after armed Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an effort to stop lawmakers from confirming President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
For weeks, Trump has continued to make false claims about fraud and the election being rigged.
Before the Capitol Hill riot erupted, Trump held a rally Wednesday near the White House and urged protesters to head to the Capitol building.
The MAGA mob broke through police barriers, breached the Capitol, wandered through the halls and took items from the offices inside. The Daily Mail reported Friday that some people in the crowd defecated in the Capitol and smeared feces on the walls.
