Both Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have removed the one minute video uploaded by President Trump in the wake of a mob rioting throughout the Capitol building.
Facebook previously removed a post by Trump that spread coronavirus misinformation, but, in general, the company has sparingly taken action on his posts.
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“This is an emergency situation and we are taking appropriate emergency measures, including removing President Trump’s video. We removed it because on balance we believe it contributes to rather than diminishes the risk of ongoing violence,” Guy Rosen, VP of Integrity at Facebook, said in a tweet.
Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A YouTube spokesperson told Motherboard in an email that “We removed a video posted this afternoon to Donald Trump’s channel that violated our policies regarding content that alleges widespread fraud or errors changed the outcome of the 2020 U.S. Election.”
In the video, Trump repeated false claims that the election was stolen from him and his supporters. He told the rioters to “go home” and that they were “very special” while continuing to spread misinformation about the election, which he lost.
Initially, Twitter removed the ability to retweet or reply to Trump’s video. Users could still quote the tweet and add their own comment, however.
“This claim of election fraud is disputed, and this Tweet can’t be replied to, Retweeted or liked due to a risk of violence,” a disclaimer under Trump’s tweet reads. (The claim of election fraud is not disputed; it is wrong).
Update: This piece has been updated to include a statement from YouTube and that Twitter has removed the video.
