Trump v Facebook: Ex-president rages at ban as White House says tech has responsibility to public

White House vows to ignore Trump if Facebook reinstates him

The Facebook Oversight Board has upheld the platform’s decision to ban Donald Trump for posts related to the attack on the US Capitol in January by his supporters.

An independent group that reviews the company’s most complex issues, the oversight panel also found that the platform was wrong to ban Mr Trump “indefinitely”, and insists that the company “apply and justify a defined penalty” – giving it six months to review its initial decision.

Mr Trump has reacted to the news with fury, demanding that “these corrupt social media companies must pay a political price”.

For its part, the White House says that social media companies have a responsibility to combat the spread of misinformation.

“The president’s view is that the major platforms have a responsibility related to the health and safety of all Americans to stop amplifying untrustworthy content, misinformation, disinformation – especially related to Covid-19, vaccines and elections,” press secretary Jen Psaki said on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Liz Cheney’s days in the House GOP leadership look to be numbered, with her immediate senior Steve Scalise officially coming out against her.

Mr Trump released another statement attacking Ms Cheney as throwing his support behind Elise Stefanik as the new party conference chair.

• Facebook is investigating two Trump posts - there are thousands of others they could have banned him over
• Who is on the Facebook oversight board and who have they banned?
• What did Trump post to get himself banned from Facebook and will he be reinstated?
• ‘He’s launched ... a blog’: Donald Trump mocked for new ‘communications platform’

Key Points

• Facebook panel upholds Trump ban
• Trump issues his own statement on Facebook ban
• Background on the Facebook ban
• Has Trump’s Facebook ban upended his 2024 plans?
• White House: social media companies have responsibility to block misinformation

[5 May 2021 14:17 · Andrew Naughtie]

Oversight board’s tough decision gives Facebook work to do

While the ban on Donald Trump remains in place, the Facebook Oversight Board has not spared the company from criticism – in fact, it cites plenty of problems with the original decision to ban the then-president, and gives the company six months to review its “indeterminate and standardless penalty”.

[5 May 2021 14:26 · Andrew Naughtie]

The GOP reaction begins...

There probably won’t be any surprises in the Republican response to the Facebook decision, but one House committee has already weighed in.

[5 May 2021 14:45 · Andrew Naughtie]

How the right makes sense of this...or doesn't

The Independent’s Richard Hall has this diagnosis of the right-wing reaction to the Facebook news.

[5 May 2021 14:53 · Andrew Naughtie]

Trump releases Liz Cheney rant

The office of Donald Trump has issued a statement from the ex-president lighting into Liz Cheney, his most senior Republican critic in the House, for her continued defiance of the pro-Trump leadership.

[5 May 2021 15:10 · Andrew Naughtie]

Background on the Facebook ban

Graeme Massie has this explainer on what Donald Trump did to get himself banned from Facebook after four years of incendiary, false and offensive posts that the platform declined to punish him for.

[5 May 2021 15:27 · Oliver O'Connell]

Voices: The Trump Facebook decision is in and it’s time to beat the communists

Holly Baxter writes:

Cancel culture! Liberal elites! A new social media platform that is just a stream of consciousness from the 45th president! This story appears like a gift to Republicans from far away. But up close, it starts to look a little... well... socialist.

[5 May 2021 15:31 · Oliver O'Connell]

McCarthy: GOP majority will rein in big tech

The House GOP leader tweets: “If they can ban President Trump, all conservative voices could be next. “

[5 May 2021 15:37 · Andrew Naughtie]

Josh Hawley weighs in on “the tyranny of big tech”

Missouri Republican Josh Hawley, who along with Ted Cruz was one of only two senators to object to the results of the 2020 election even after the 6 January insurrection, has added his two cents on the news that the Facebook ban is being upheld.

Needless to say, he’s angry. The story tallies with his views on the power of major tech companies – a subject on which he happens to have a book coming out.

[5 May 2021 15:58 · Andrew Naughtie]

Florida man: Trump’s strange post-presidency

So you’ve governed a country for four years, lost an election, failed to overturn it, incited a violent insurrection, and skipped your rival’s inauguration to jet off to your golfing resort in Florida. Now what?

Joe Sommerlad takes a look at Donald Trump’s surreal new life in the post-presidential twilight.

[5 May 2021 16:20 · Andrew Naughtie]

Trump issues his own statement on Facebook ban

It took him a bit longer than it would have in the days when he was allowed to tweet, but Donald Trump has released a rageful and threatening statement on the upholding of Facebook’s ban.

Here’s the message:

“What Facebook, Twitter, and Google have done is a total disgrace and an embarrassment to our Country. Free Speech has been taken away from the President of the United States because the Radical Left Lunatics are afraid of the truth, but the truth will come out anyway, bigger and stronger than ever before. The People of our Country will not stand for it! These corrupt social media companies must pay a political price, and must never again be allowed to destroy and decimate our Electoral Process.”

Oliver O’Connell has more.