Twitter posts warning on official White House tweet

Twitter placed a warning on a tweet from the official White House account Friday that mirrored one it has placed on an identical tweet from Trump’s account that threatened violence against looters in Minneapolis. 

Trump tweeted early Friday morning about the protests in Minneapolis over the police killing of George Floyd, saying, “These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen.”

“Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” he added. “Thank you!”

Twitter placed a warning on that post noting that it violated the platform’s policies on “the glorification of violence based on the historical context of the last line, its connection to violence, and the risk it could inspire similar actions today.” 

The tweet was allowed to stay up because Twitter deemed it relevant to matters of public importance.

The White House then tweeted the same tweet, possibly to challenge Twitter’s commitment to enforcing its policies.  

“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

“We have placed a public interest notice on this identical Tweet from @WhiteHouse,” a spokesperson for the social media platform told The Hill, noting that it violated the same policies.

Twitter’s actions limit the ability of its users to interact with the tweets. Replies, likes and retweets without comment are disabled.

Twitter earlier this week for the first time added notes to tweets from Trump about mail-in voting, provoking a furious response from the president and his allies. Trump accused Twtter of bias against conservatives.

On Thursday, Trump signed an executive order aimed at increasing the ability of the government to regulate social media platforms. 

The order is focused on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a 1996 law that prevents platforms from being considered the publishers or speakers of content posted by third-party users. The law also gives them immunity from liability for “good faith” efforts to moderate their platforms.

It’s far from clear whether Trump’s order would be legally acceptable, and it is expected to be challenged in court if the administration seeks to enforce it. 

In response to Twitter adding a note to the White House tweet, the White House defended the president. 

“The President did not glorify violence. He clearly condemned it,” the White House tweeted after the second label was applied.