Twitter Warns that Trump Tweet Could Spur Violence
The company prevented users from viewing Mr. Trumpâs message without first reading a brief notice describing the rule violation. Twitter also blocked users from liking or replying to Mr. Trumpâs post.
But Twitter did not take the tweet down, saying it was in the publicâs interest that the message remain accessible.
Twitter said that it had made its decision âbased on the historical context of the last line, its connection to violence, and the risk it could inspire similar actions today.â
In the tweet, Mr. Trump called the protesters âthugsâ and said he had told Minnesotaâs governor that the military âis with him all the way.â
âAny difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts,â the president wrote. âThank you!â
The companyâs decision comes a day after Mr. Trump signed an executive order that seeks to to limit the legal protections that shield social media companies from liability for the content posted on their platforms. The president had fulminated over Twitterâs decision earlier this week to append fact-checking labels for the first time to two of his tweets. In response, he accused Twitter of stifling speech and said that he would put a stop to the interference.
In Mr. Trumpâs tweets about the Minneapolis protests, which he posted early Friday morning, he also criticized Mayor Jacob Freyâs response to the demonstrations.
âI canât stand back & watch this happen to a great American City,â the president wrote. Mr. Trump said Mr. Frey, a Democrat, must âget his act together and bring the City under control, or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right.â
It was unclear if the president intended to send additional troops after Gov. Tim Walz activated the Minnesota National Guard to help restore order in the Twin Cities.
Mr. Trump had previously described the video of Mr. Floydâs death as a âvery shocking sightâ and âa very very sad event,â saying he had asked the F.B.I.âs investigation to be expedited.
Mr. Frey did not know about Mr. Trumpâs tweets until a reporter read them aloud during a news conference early on Friday. The mayor shook his head and then gave a fiery retort, slamming a podium for emphasis.
âWeakness is refusing to take responsibility for your own actions,â he said. âWeakness is pointing your finger at somebody else during a time of crisis.â
âDonald Trump knows nothing about the strength of Minneapolis,â he continued. âWe are strong as hell. Is this a difficult time period? Yes. But you better be damn sure that weâre going to get through this.â