President Donald Trump had another tweet of his partially muted by Twitter on Tuesday, as the social media platform said that a tweet sent by the president earlier in the day violated the site’s rules.
In the last month, Twitter has blocked or partially muted several Trump tweets after facing criticism that the social media platform does not follow its own policy toward presidential tweets. In cases like the tweet sent by Trump on Tuesday, Twitter said that the tweet is still viewable due to “public interest.”
The tweet in question from Trump reads, “There will never be an ‘Autonomous Zone’ in Washington, D.C., as long as I’m your President. If they try they will be met with serious force!”
Trump’s post came in response to several hundred protesters being pushed out of Lafayette Park Monday night after they attempted to bring down a statue of Theodore Roosevelt. Several protesters then crossed the street to the St. John’s Episcopal Church and spray painted that the area is an “autonomous zone.” The church was the site of a now infamous photo op featuring the president moments after officers used tear gas on a largely peaceful protest to clear the area.
Twitter issued the following warning along with the tweet:
“This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about abusive behavior. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible.”
Last month was the first time Twitter censored a presidential tweet.
“We've taken action in the interest of preventing others from being inspired to commit violent acts, but have kept the Tweet on Twitter because it is important that the public still be able to see the Tweet given its relevance to ongoing matters of public importance,” Twitter said last month.
Trump also threatened to take action against Twitter after the platform issued a fact check alongside a tweet which Trump claimed that mail-in voting is prone to fraud – a repeated claim that has been made by the president despite little evidence to support the claim.
