Donald Trump Twitter Account Suspended Permanently

WASHINGTON, DC — President Donald Trump's Twitter account was permanently suspended Friday by the social media company, whose safety team made the decision due to the "risk of further incitement of violence."

Twitter made the decision "after close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them — specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter," the statement read.

On Wednesday, following the attack on the U.S. Capitol, Twitter and fellow social media giant Facebook took unprecedented steps to quiet Trump and his fabricated claims surrounding the 2020 election.

Twitter locked Trump out of his account for 12 hours, adding that future violations could result in a permanent suspension. In order for Trump to regain access to his account, Twitter required the removal of three of Trump's tweets, including a short video in which he urged those supporters to "go home" while also repeating falsehoods about the integrity of the presidential election.

Twitter lifted the ban on Trump's account Thursday morning, but also said it would heighten enforcement of platform rules and suspend the president permanently if he continues to disregard them.

In its statement released Friday, Twitter said it made clear the consequences of further violations.

"Our public interest framework exists to enable the public to hear from elected officials and world leaders directly. It is built on the principle that the people have a right to hold power to account in the open," the statement read.

Twitter cited two tweets from the president that contributed to its decision.

On Thursday, Trump tweeted, "The 75,000,000 great American Patriots who voted for me, AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future. They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!”

The company also cited his Friday tweet stating that he would not be attending President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on Jan. 20.

Earlier this week, Facebook took a more aggressive stance against the president's rhetoric.

In a statement posted to his personal page, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company was banning Trump from using the platform "indefinitely."

"We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great," Zuckerberg wrote. "Therefore, we are extending the block we have placed on his Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks until the peaceful transition of power is complete."

During his presidency, Trump has used social media to spread falsehoods about election integrity, the results of the presidential race and other key issues.

Platforms such as Facebook have occasionally labeled or even removed some of his posts, but the overall response had failed to satisfy a growing number of critics who say the platforms enabled the spread of dangerous misinformation.

Some of the president's supporters have flocked to alternative social networking sites like Parler. However, on Friday, Google removed Parler's app from its Play store, stating it would not reinstate the app until Parler puts in place a moderation policy and deletes content that could incite violence, according to a report by Politico.

Apple issued a similar warning to Parler earlier in the day, giving the site 24 hours to comply.