Twitter Locks Trump Account During Capitol Riot as Insiders Push for Ban
Twitter temporarily locks President Trump's account and deletes his tweets during the Capitol riot, matching actions taken by Facebook and YouTube. Insiders argue the platform needs to permanently ban the president to stop the spread of dangerous lies.
Twitter locks President Trump's account for at least 12 hours and removes several tweets as a violent mob storms the US Capitol. The platform takes this action after Trump posts a video repeating false claims of a stolen election and telling the rioters they are very special. Facebook and YouTube also remove the same video, with Facebook citing an emergency situation to justify the unprecedented restrictions.
The social media companies escalate their enforcement as the violence unfolds in Washington. Facebook and Instagram later block Trump from posting for 24 hours, while Facebook actively removes all content that praises the storming of the Capitol. On Twitter, the phrase "Delete his account" trends heavily as users demand a permanent suspension rather than a temporary lock.
Insiders at Twitter express frustration and argue that the company needs to go much further than a temporary lock. One adviser states that Trump causes death and destruction with his lies and criticizes leadership for failing to see this crisis coming. The current 12-hour restriction forces Trump to delete specific rule-breaking tweets before he regains access, but it stops short of the full permanent ban that many internal voices demand.