‘THANK YOU’: Twitter goes wild as Trump banned forever
Twitter has erupted in jubilation after news spread that outgoing US President Donald Trump had been permanently suspended from the social media platform.
‘THANK YOU TWITTER’ emerged as a trending topic on the website just moments after people discovered the account of America’s president had been permanently scrubbed.
After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence.https://t.co/CBpE1I6j8Y
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) January 8, 2021
“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 — we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence,” Twitter stated in a blog post.
Earlier this week, the social media platform temporarily locked Trump’s account after the US Capitol riots, warning that his account could be gone for good if he continued to violate Twitter’s rules.
Twitter users, including many high-profile public figures, shared the news with screenshots of Trump's suspended account, expressing their thanks to the platform.
Thank you Twitter for permanently banning Donald J. Trump. No American, not even the President of the United States, is above the rules. Thank you for putting public safety and our country above business profits and advertising money.
— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) January 9, 2021
Many hailed the news as a signal of a better year ahead, bidding farewell to 2020.
“THANK YOU TWITTER, for making 2021 a little better”, Tweeted one user.
“I have never seen something so BEAUTIFUL!!! Thank you Twitter!!!” said another.
THANK YOU TWITTER. This is gonna be an amazing year pic.twitter.com/9i77zD4zoo
— Theresa ♡ (@fallharrying) January 8, 2021
Thank you twitter
Meanwhile, at twitter hq pic.twitter.com/HF0GkUKUqh— Nick Mitchell (@NickMit96499178) January 9, 2021
The suspension of the President’s account was even turned into a gif.
Most satisfying gif of 2021
Thank you Twitter pic.twitter.com/qxy9QOywnC— Aero (@ActualAero) January 8, 2021
American author John Pavlovitz also thanked Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey for the ban.
“Thank you, @Twitter @jack,” he wrote. “This matters.”
Bridgerton actress Nicola Coughlan also joked that the permanent suspension was a personal gift to her.
Thank you Twitter for suspending this account for my birthday which is in ten minutes I assume that is why you did it and that this is my present pic.twitter.com/FAhYcIUnnE
— Nicola Coughlan (@nicolacoughlan) January 8, 2021
But amid the celebration, some pointed out that the move had come too late.
Thank you, Twitter, for permanently suspending Trump's account. You could have done it four years ago as he consistently violated all your standards.
— Wajahat "Wears a Mask Because of a Pandemic" Ali (@WajahatAli) January 8, 2021
“What took you so damn long?” asked one user.
Other topics related to the Trump ban began trending, such as Jack Dorsey himself and the hashtag #TrumpBanned.
‘Make Twitter Great Again’ also began emerging as a trending topic as a tongue-in-cheek play on Trump’s campaign slogan, ‘MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN’.
Social media turns against Trump
Twitter is only the latest amid a string of similar bans on the President: several social media giants moved to suspend Trump in some form after his supporters stormed the US Capital, which has resulted in five deaths.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced yesterday that Trump would be banned from the site indefinitely.
“We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great,” Zuckerberg said.
“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.”
Reddit has also blocked the subreddit r/DonaldTrump, one of the social forum’s largest political communities in support of the embattled businessman.
Twitch and Snapchat have disabled Trump’s accounts, while Instagram has also banned Trump for at least the next two weeks.
YouTube and TikTok have also taken action, Axios reported.
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