In the wake of the Capitol insurrection, social media companies have sought to limit the U.S. President’s reach.
What you need to know
- Snapchat has joined other major social media companies in banning President Trump.
- The president had been accused of using his social media presence to incite violence.
- Snapchat had previously suspended him indefinitely but decided to ban him in view of his long term conduct.
The social media backlash against President Trump following the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol continues this week as Snapchat has now banned the President’s account permanently. Previously, it was suspended indefinitely.
Speaking to CNN, a a Snap spokesperson said:
Last week we announced an indefinite suspension of President Trump’s Snapchat (SNAP) account, and have been assessing what long term action is in the best interest of our Snapchat community. In the interest of public safety, and based on his attempts to spread misinformation, hate speech, and incite violence, which are clear violations of our guidelines, we have made the decision to permanently terminate his account.
The outgoing President has seen his social media reach limited, with mainstays like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter banning him. Trump had previously broken the terms of service of each of these apps multiple times, but the companies retroactively amended their policies to give leaders a bit more flexibility. In contrast, TikTok issued a pre-emptive ban on the president, restricting him from establishing a presence on the app he had previously tried to ban.
Not everyone sees these moves as a good thing. German chancellor Angela Merkel commented to the Financial Times that she found the de-platforming of the President worrying, preferring that such decisions be made by a government agency instead. It’s worth noting that such a move would be problematic to execute within the U.S.’s legal framework as a result of the First Amendment.
