Twitch and Reddit Suspend Trump-Linked Channels in Hate Speech Crackdown
Major tech platforms Reddit and Twitch take action against Donald Trump-associated pages, citing violations of hate speech policies. The bans are part of a broader sweep that removes thousands of forums and accounts promoting hate.
Social media platform Reddit shuts down r/The_Donald, a popular forum for supporters of President Donald Trump, citing violations of its updated hate speech rules. Reddit Chief Executive Steve Huffman announces that the company is banning about 2,000 subreddits as part of a broader crackdown on communities that promote hate based on identity or vulnerability. Most of the banned subreddits are currently inactive.
Amazon’s live-streaming platform Twitch temporarily suspends Trump’s official channel for similar reasons. Twitch states that the channel violates its hateful conduct policy, pointing to a rebroadcast of a 2016 rally where the president claims Mexico sends rapists to the United States. Additionally, Google’s YouTube joins the crackdown by suspending six leading white nationalist accounts.
The Trump campaign does not directly address the specific actions taken by Reddit and Twitch. Instead, a campaign spokesman directs supporters to download Trump’s official campaign app to hear directly from the president. These platform enforcements follow recent internal pressure at Reddit, including the resignation of co-founder Alexis Ohanian and public criticism from former CEO Ellen Pao regarding the handling of Trump-aligned communities.