Wishing for the death of the President of the United States Donald Trump in a message on Twitter is not allowed, the platform announced on Friday.
Twitter stated that tweets wishing or hoping "for death, serious bodily harm or fatal disease" are not allowed against anyone, and that such messages would be deleted. The accounts that spread these messages, however, will not automatically be suspended.
Earlier on Friday, Trump announced - also via Twitter - that he and First Lady Melania both tested positive for Covid-19, and that he would be hospitalised as a precaution for a few days in a military hospital.
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Since his announcement, many social media platforms were flooded with posts, jokes and memes about Trump's infection, most of them implying the hope that the President should suffer severely from his infection, or even die as a result.
Additionally, the tweet in which Trump announced his positive test, was "liked" over 1.7 million times - far more than the number of likes his tweets usually receive.
However, several Democrats, including former President Barack Obama and Presidential Candidate Joe Biden, have made statements wishing the president well.
Several public figures, including U.S. Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley, who all say they received numerous death threats on the platform since Trump took aim at them in July, have been quick to denounce the timing of Twitter's announcement.
So... you mean to tell us you could‘ve done this the whole time? https://t.co/7OmgEYjWnI
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 3, 2020
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
