Days After Censoring Riot Tweet, Twitter Removes Trump's Video Tribute to George Floyd
Twitter has blocked a Trump campaign video tribute to George Floyd over a copyright claim, adding to tensions between the social media giant and the U.S. president, one of its most widely followed users.
The company put a label on a video posted by the @TeamTrump account that said, “This media has been disabled in response to a claim by the copyright owner.”
We are working toward a more just society, but that means building up, not tearing down.
Joining hands, not hurling fists.
Standing in solidarity, not surrendering to hostility. pic.twitter.com/mp8957czvh
— Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) June 3, 2020
The video was still up on President Donald Trump’s YouTube channel and includes pictures of Floyd, whose death sparked widespread protests.
“Per our copyright policy, we respond to valid copyright complaints sent to us by a copyright owner or their authorized representatives,” Twitter said in a statement.
It did not say who made the complaint.
The three minute and 45 second clip is a montage of photos and videos of peaceful marches interspersed with scenes of burning buildings and vandalism.
Last month, Twitter placed fact-check warnings on two tweets from Trump’s own account that predicted problems with the November elections if mail-in ballots are used.
Under the tweets, there is now a link reading “Get the facts about mail-in ballots” that guides users to a Twitter page with fact checks and news stories about Trump’s claims.
There is NO WAY (ZERO!) that Mail-In Ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent. Mail boxes will be robbed, ballots will be forged & even illegally printed out & fraudulently signed. The Governor of California is sending Ballots to millions of people, anyone…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 26, 2020
It also demoted and placed a stronger warning on Trump and White House tweets about Minneapolis protests that read, in part, “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
Twitter said that the tweets violated the platform’s rules against glorifying violence.
“These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!” https://t.co/GDwAydcAOw
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 29, 2020
Trump responded by signing an executive order targeting social media companies for unfairly censoring certain users.
Last year, Twitter also removed a Trump tweet featuring a Nickelback music video clip that took aim at former Vice President Joe Biden, after receiving copyright complaints.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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