Donald Trump Planning Lawsuit Against Facebook, Twitter and Google

Donald Trump has announced that he’s filed a class-action lawsuit against Facebook, Twitter and Google, as well as the CEOs of all three tech companies. The Associated Press reports that the former U.S. President made the announcement during a press conference from his Bedminster, New Jersey golf course on Wednesday. “We’re demanding an end to the shadow-banning, a stop to the silencing and a stop to the blacklisting, banishing and canceling that you know so well,” he stated.

Trump had his lawyers file the suits in U.S. District Court for Florida’s southern district, the state where he claims primary residence. The ex-president was suspended from Facebook and Twitter following the January 6 assault on the United States Capitol building, which was carried out by a mob of his most devout supporters. The social media companies chose to ban his accounts over concerns that his rhetoric could further incite violence and riots. His ban is still in effect currently.

Following the insurrectionist siege, Facebook banned Trump pointing to his refusal to acknowledge the election results as having incited the crowd. The company also pointed to his unfounded allegations of voter fraud as being a danger to the users of their platform. “We believe the risks of allowing the president to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote at the time, adding that Trump would be banned until at least after “the peaceful transition of power is complete.”

Later, Facebook vice president Nick Clegg announced that Trump’s ban would move to an oversight board, who would decide if it is permanent or not. “Our decision to suspend then-President Trump’s access was taken in extraordinary circumstances: a US president actively fomenting a violent insurrection designed to thwart the peaceful transition of power; five people killed; legislators fleeing the seat of democracy. This has never happened before — and we hope it will never happen again,” Clegg said, per The Verge.

“It was an unprecedented set of events which called for unprecedented action,” Clegg then added. “We believe our decision was necessary and right. Given its significance, we think it is important for the board to review it and reach an independent judgment on whether it should be upheld.”

Clegg also acknowledged that “some said that Facebook should have banned President Trump long ago and that the violence on the Capitol was itself a product of social media; others that it was an unacceptable display of unaccountable corporate power over political speech.” He clarified that all politicians “remain subject to our policies banning the use of our platform to incite violence.” The review board ultimately decided that Trump’s ban would remain for at least the foreseeable future.