President Trump on Saturday asked why “radical left wing media” like CNN and the New York Times are allowed to be on Twitter and Facebook due to their “so wrong” coverage of the Russia investigation — as he raised concerns about the banning of conservative figures from the social media platforms.
“When will the Radical Left Wing Media apologize to me for knowingly getting the Russia Collusion Delusion story so wrong? The real story is about to happen! Why is @nytimes, @washingtonpost, @CNN, @MSNBC allowed to be on Twitter & Facebook. Much of what they do is FAKE NEWS!”
When will the Radical Left Wing Media apologize to me for knowingly getting the Russia Collusion Delusion story so wrong? The real story is about to happen! Why is @nytimes, @washingtonpost, @CNN, @MSNBC allowed to be on Twitter & Facebook. Much of what they do is FAKE NEWS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 4, 2019
Trump comments came as he also retweeted messages critical of Facebook’s decision to ban a number of controversial conservative commentators including Milo Yiannopoulos, InfoWars’ Alex Jones and Paul Joseph Watson from Facebook and Instagram on Thursday. While those who were targeted were mostly right-wing commentators, it also banned Nation of Islam founder Louis Farrakhan.
“We’ve always banned individuals or organizations that promote or engage in violence and hate, regardless of ideology. The process for evaluating potential violators is extensive and it is what led us to our decision to remove these accounts today,” Facebook said in a statement.
The banning has renewed concerns from many conservatives that right-wing voices are censored or discriminated against by the Silicon Valley platforms. On Saturday, Trump retweeted a number of tweets criticizing Facebook’s move, including one by Watson, who urged supporters to “keep up the pressure” on the company.
On Friday, Trump said he was “surprised” at Twitter’s decision to lock the account of actor James Woods and that Fox Nation hosts Diamond & Silk had been treated “horribly” by Facebook.
The wonderful Diamond and Silk have been treated so horribly by Facebook. They work so hard and what has been done to them is very sad – and we’re looking into. It’s getting worse and worse for Conservatives on social media!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2019
“It’s getting worse and worse for Conservatives on social media!” he declared. He also suggested he could use his office to push back against the actions of the tech behemoths.
I am continuing to monitor the censorship of AMERICAN CITIZENS on social media platforms. This is the United States of America — and we have what’s known as FREEDOM OF SPEECH! We are monitoring and watching, closely!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2019
“I am continuing to monitor the censorship of AMERICAN CITIZENS on social media platforms,” he said. “This is the United States of America — and we have what’s known as FREEDOM OF SPEECH! We are monitoring and watching, closely!!”
