Twitter warned Friday it will remove posts on its platform that wish for President Trump’s death after he announced he tested positive for COVID-19.
After reports initially surfaced that Twitter would suspend accounts that posted such messages, the company said the tweets would not merit immediate suspension, but would be swiftly removed.
“[T]weets that wish or hope for death, serious bodily harm or fatal disease against *anyone* are not allowed and will need to be removed. this does not automatically mean suspension,” the platform tweeted from its communications account.
The warning comes the same day as Trump’s announcement that he and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for the virus, which has infected more than 7.3 million people in the U.S. and killed more than 208,000.
Social media was soon flooded with posts bashing Trump, though Democrats made several statements wishing the president well.
“Jill and I send our thoughts to President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for a swift recovery,” said Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden. “We will continue to pray for the health and safety of the president and his family.”
Twitter said posts that wish for Trump’s death fall under its abusive behavior policy, which says users “may not engage in the targeted harassment of someone, or incite other people to do so. We consider abusive behavior an attempt to harass, intimidate, or silence someone else’s voice.” Under the policy, Twitter may “permanently suspend the account upon initial review” if an account is “engaging primarily in abusive behavior.”