Twitter has referenced an “Abusive behavior” rule they implemented in April. It explicitly states: “we do not tolerate content that wishes, hopes or expresses a desire for death, serious bodily harm or fatal disease against an individual or group of people.”
Twitter’s rationale ascribes the rule’s importance to the need to “facilitate healthy dialogue on the platform, and [to] empower individuals to express diverse opinions and beliefs.” They state that this “abusive behavior may also lead to physical and emotional hardship for those affected.”
Twitter told Motherboard that it won’t act on every single tweet. “We’re prioritizing the removal of content when it has a clear call to action that could potentially cause real-world harm,” reads a statement from Twitter.
In a tweet, the company added that its rules don’t necessarily mean automatic suspension, by the way:
Intriguingly, Facebook isn’t enforcing the same rules as Twitter in this case. Although Facebook doesn’t generally allow such dark content, they make an exception for public characters, including politicians. As long as there’s no threat of violence or personal attack, there’s no violation of Facebook’s rules. Hence, if you don’t tag Trump in whatever insult you’d like to level against him, you won’t get deleted.
Trump is presently suffering “mild” symptoms according to his chief of staff, Mark Meadows, while Lawrence Kudlow, the director of the national economic council, has described his case as “very moderate.” The president is receiving treatment at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
