Donald Trump is not having a good week with social media companies. Remember when Trump being fact-checked by Twitter was big enough news to distract from COVID-19 even though more than 100,000 people had died? It’s unlikely that Trump’s newest spat with a social media outlet will drown out what’s happening in protest news today, but Trump is likely to be furious.
Snapchat will stop promoting President Trump's account in Discover: 'We will not amplify voices who incite racial violence and injustice' https://t.co/HcqKcRcbxp
— Business Insider (@businessinsider) June 3, 2020
Because of a statement that was also hidden by Twitter because of its “glorification of violence,” Snapchat has announced that they plan to remove Donald Trump’s account from the Discover section of its app. It will no longer be promoted along with news outlets and other important information for users due to the same reason Twitter cited: his posts are glorifying violence.
According to Business Insider, a Snap spokesperson said that:
‘”We are not currently promoting the President’s content on Snapchat’s discover platform. We will not amplify voices who incite racial violence and injustice by giving them free promotion on Discover. Racial violence and injustice have no place in our society and we stand together with all who seek peace, love, equality, and justice in America.”‘
The statement in question was in relationship to the current protests happening across the country following the violent death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. As tensions reached a boiling point, Trump threw gasoline onto the fire by quoting an avowed white supremacist police chief, saying “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
‘Trump’s account on Snapchat is still public and visible to those who search for it or subscribe to it. However, it will not be promoted in Discover, the section that houses content from news outlets, production companies, and stories curated by the Snapchat team.’
Trump has already signed an executive order limiting Twitter’s ability to do…something. No one is really sure what the grandly presented and signed order really means, but that was over a fact-check about mail-in ballots. His reaction to being kicked into the land of obscurity on Snapchat is yet to be seen.
‘The move comes as Snapchat competitor Facebook, the world’s largest social network, is embroiled in controversy over its handling of Trump’s recent posts. Facebook has refused to take action against a post from Trump that included the phrase, “When the looting starts, the shooting starts.” That rhetoric was used by a Florida police chief in the 1960s who was known for his harsh policing of predominantly black neighborhoods. Trump said he was unaware of the phrase’s origins. ‘
