Donald Trump has been banned to varying degrees from the social media platforms Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. The services each took action following various violations of their policies by the outgoing President on Wednesday as supporters of his protested the election result in Washington D.C., before some rioted and stormed the Capitol Building. Trump was seen to have not only failed to condemn the violence, but at times to have incited it.
Trump's use of social media has been a cornerstone of his political career, with him having used it to connect with supporters throughout his run for office and during his subsequent presidency. He famously (or notoriously) tweets frequently, often doing so in stream-of-consciousness-like barrages and disparaging those with whom he doesn't see eye-to-eye, but he has also maintained active accounts on other platforms. However, his use of social media has brought into sharp focus how platforms like Twitter and Facebook can be used to spread misinformation, with many of his posts having been flagged as disputed in the run-up to and after November's presidential election and social media companies themselves having to reflect on where free speech and public interest becomes potentially harmful mistruth and potential incitement.
The stage for yesterday's unrest was set when a protest against the election result was arranged to coincide with the certification of Electoral College votes in Congress, with Trump having tweeted about the event repeatedly. After speaking to supporters at the protest and encouraging them to march on the Capitol, he then posted updates to his social media accounts throughout the afternoon that included claims of election fraud, a video in which he called rioters "very special," and a tweet about the violence that read, "These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long. Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!" The posts were variously labelled as disputed, restricted for engagement, and/or removed altogether. Subsequently, Trump's accounts on numerous were also locked.
Social Media: Where Is & Isn't Trump Banned?
At around 7pm ET, Twitter announced that Trump's account would be locked for a minimum of 12 hours and that three of his tweets would need to be deleted before the account would be reactivated. It also noted that future transgressions would result in permanent suspension. Facebook subsequently said it had assessed two policy violations and that it had imposed a 24 hour ban, with Facebook-owned Instagram following suit. Later, The Information reported that Snap spokeswoman Rachel Racusen had confirmed an indefinite ban on Trump's account sharing new content on Snapchat.
These bans are all temporary and/or conditional, meaning that at some point or other on each service Trump should be free to post again. However, as Twitter noted, repeated and serious violations mean an increasing risk of permanent bans on the platforms. What's more, once Trump loses the public interest of being president, they are likely to be even less accommodating.
Trump, however, appears to have little intention of curtailing his claims of election fraud, which poses a problem for him. Once he is allowed back on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, he will have to moderate his claims or risk losing his main means of communicating with his supporters. Alternatively, as looks like maybe the case, he could look elsewhere for a platform where his claims will be tolerated. There were unconfirmed reports last night that Trump had joined Parler, which positions itself as "the world's premier free speech platform" and on which there is a growing right-wing community. If this is true, it would allow Trump to continue engaging with his supporters without the risk of his posts or account being restricted, regardless of what truth there was to any claims.
Sources: Twitter 1, 2, Twitter/Facebook, Twitter/Instagram, The Information, Mediaite