Washington, D.C. — Today, Adam Conner, vice president of Technology Policy at the Center for American Progress, released the following statement after Twitter announced it was permanently banning President Donald Trump from the platform, effective immediately:
President Trump used his social media platforms to incite the white supremacist mob that conducted the attack on the U.S. Capitol and to praise the attackers as it was ongoing. Banning his accounts is the clear, correct decision, and a matter of public safety for the immediate future, including the inauguration.
The words of a president always matter. Since losing the election, President Trump’s public appearances have been rare, but his attempts to destroy American democracy have been frequent. For months, the president has weaponized social media, primarily Twitter, to spread misinformation about the election and to incite right-wing extremists to avenge his loss.
The damage done to our democracy and the integrity of U.S. elections is clear. Trump should not just be banned from Twitter—he should be permanently banned from all social media platforms as a consequence of the violence he has inspired and the damage he has wrought on the integrity of our democracy with those tools. For now, we hope that banning Donald Trump from Twitter will help this nation survive the next 12 days.
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