Trump Blasts Social Media 'Censorship': 'Discriminating Against Republican/Conservative Voices'

President Trump on Saturday issued a tweet-storm following the removal of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his InfoWars shows from most major social media platforms earlier this month.

“Social Media is totally discriminating against Republican/Conservative voices,” the president wrote in the first of several tweets. “Speaking loudly and clearly for the Trump Administration, we won’t let that happen.”

The president did not indicate what steps his administration might take to prevent private companies from setting up and enforcing terms of service that have allowed them to discipline or shut down accounts for reported abuses.

Also Read: Alex Jones Suspended for Seven Days by Twitter

“Too many voices are being destroyed, some good & some bad, and that cannot be allowed to happen,” he wrote, without naming any specific accounts.

“Censorship is a very dangerous thing & absolutely impossible to police,” the president wrote, suggesting that social media companies may be politically motivated in enforcing their rules about hate speech and direct calls for violence.

He also seemed to equate the recent moves to remove content from InfoWars — which has peddled widely debunked claims about Democrats running a child molestation ring out of a Washington, D.C. pizzeria and that the Sandy Hook massacre was staged with child actors — with his own attacks on mainstream media outlets over what he has called “fake news.”

Also Read: Alex Jones' InfoWars Terms of Service Makes the Same Argument Companies Used to Ban Him

“If you are weeding out Fake News, there is nothing so Fake as CNN & MSNBC, & yet I do not ask that their sick behavior be removed,” he wrote.

The president’s Twitter storm comes a week after Facebook, Apple, Spotify and YouTube removed from their services most of the content posted by Jones and his InfoWars network, citing what they said were violations of their terms of service.

Also Read: Could Alex Jones' InfoWars Face Gawker's Fate With Multiple Defamation Lawsuits?

Earlier this week, Twitter followed suit with a seven-day suspension of Jones’ personal account.

Last week, Twitter also suspended accounts associated with former Vice co-founder Gavin McInnes and the far-right Proud Boys group; the latter had participated in last summer’s deadly Unite the Right rally of white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia.

See the tweets below.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1030777074959757313

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1030779412973846529

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1030781399920455681

Trump's Relationship to Alex Jones: A Breakdown (Photos)

The recent backlash against Megyn Kelly and NBC for interviewing Alex Jones has renewed the spotlight on the host of conservative show "Info Wars." Kelly said in a statement Tuesday that she wanted to interview Jones because of his ties with President Donald Trump. Here's a breakdown of their relationship.
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Trump and Jones began a relationship on Trump's campaign trail, and have peddled some of the same conspiracy theories, according to Mother Jones. Perhaps Trump's most popular conspiracy theory is that President Barack Obama wasn't born in the United States (he was), a theory also perpetuated by Jones.
NBC
In December 2015, Trump was a guest on Jones' show. Jones introduced Trump as "a maverick" who "tells it like it is." Jones opened the show by praising Trump for taking attacks from media outlets like the Washington Post and the New York Post. Jones theorizes that the attacks on 9/11 were a hoax; it was surprising that a Republican candidate would go on a show whose host postures that the previous Republican president was part of such an elaborate hoax.
YouTube
At a January 2016 campaign event, Trump called Jones "a nice guy."
InfoWars YouTube
In February 2016, senior policy advisor to Trump Stephen Miller appeared on "Info Wars," and repeatedly spoke to Jones' audience asking for support. "If you want to stop the Trans-Pacific Partnership, if you want to close the border, if you want to protect American jobs and wages, then you have to support Donald J. Trump," Miller said.
thewrap
"Hillary for prison" became the rallying cry at the 2016 Republican National Convention. The phrase was initially found on merchandise on the "Info Wars" website. Jones was a "special guest" at the convention.
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Trump continued to parrot Jones' ideas. Last August, Jones said, "It is surreal to talk about issues here on air, and then word-for-word hear Trump say it two days later."
InfoWars
Also last August, Jones said on his show that he personally talked to Trump and encouraged him to push the idea that the election would be rigged. Trump did end up pushing this idea. "I'm afraid the election's going to be rigged. I have to be honest," Trump said at an Ohio campaign stop.
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In November 2016, Trump's advisor Roger Stone told the Washington Post that Jones would be a "valuable asset" to Trump.
InfoWars YouTube
After the election, Jones said in an "Info Wars" video that Trump called him to thank him. "I wanted to talk to you to thank your audience," Jones said the then-president-elect told him.
YouTube
Even Hillary Clinton weighed in on Trump's reliance on Jones for ideas throughout the campaign, and released an attack ad featuring Jones. "This is what Trump listens to," says the ad as Jones talks about chemicals put in the water to make people gay.
YouTube
Jones' website is full of references to "presstitutes," and discredits news organizations like NPR and CNN. Trump is known for discrediting several news organizations. For example, in February he called the media "the enemy."
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POTUS calls conspiracy theorist profiled by Megyn Kelly ”a nice guy“

The recent backlash against Megyn Kelly and NBC for interviewing Alex Jones has renewed the spotlight on the host of conservative show "Info Wars." Kelly said in a statement Tuesday that she wanted to interview Jones because of his ties with President Donald Trump. Here's a breakdown of their relationship.

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Trump's Relationship to Alex Jones: A Breakdown (Photos)

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