President Donald Trump threatened to “strongly regulate” or close down social media platforms after Twitter’s decision to place a fact-check link to two of his tweets, reports Deadline.
On Wednesday, he wrote, “Republicans feel that Social Media Platforms totally silence conservatives voices. We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen. We saw what they attempted to do, and failed, in 2016. We can’t let a more sophisticated version of that happen again. Just like we can’t let large scale Mail-In Ballots take root in our Country. It would be a free for all on cheating, forgery and the theft of Ballots. Whoever cheated the most would win. Likewise, Social Media. Clean up your act, NOW!!!!”
Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America, said in a statement, “His call to punish Twitter for its fact-checking of his blatantly false statements is akin to threatening to shut down a newspaper or a TV network for a report considered unfriendly. Not only does he not have the authority to silence these platforms and users, the constitution expressly forbids using the power of government to exact reprisals against speech. He isn’t protecting free speech; he is chilling it.”
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Donald Trump Plans Executive Order On Social Media After Twitter Places Fact Checks On Some Of His Tweets — Update
