Twitter to Suspend Users Wishing for President Trump’s Death
Twitter said it will suspend users who openly use the platform to express hope that President Donald Trump dies from his ongoing battle with COVID-19.
The social media site pointed to a policy in place since April when commenting to Vice’s Motherboard on its ability to suspend people for their comments about Trump.
Twitter’s policies allow for users engaging in “abusive behavior” to be suspended, including when posting “content that wishes, hopes or expresses a desire for death, serious bodily harm or fatal disease against an individual.”
“Hoping that someone dies as a result of a serious disease” is listed as a specific example within the guidelines’ section outlining explanations of abusive behavior.
Negative content recently flooded social media following Trump’s announcement early on Oct. 2 that he would be quarantining and seeking treatment after testing positive for the coronavirus. Recent hashtags that trended in the U.S. include “#TrumpHasCovid” and the more recent “#CovidCaughtTrump.”
Many users tweeted out “thoughts and prayers” for the President or celebrated “karma” — a term which also trended, given the recent comments Trump made mocking former Vice President Biden for always wearing a mask.
But others also used Twitter to express hope that the pandemic would result in the President’s death.
Trump is currently being treated at Walter Reed Medical Center, where he will undergo multiple treatments, including an experimental one. He took the military helicopter Marine One to the hospital on Friday, where he is expected to stay for a few days, according to a White House spokesperson.
Twitter told Motherboard that action won’t be taken against every post wishing death.
“We’re prioritizing the removal of content when it has a clear call to action that could potentially cause real-world harm,” a Twitter representative said.
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