Twitter

Twitter Limits Trump Jr.'s Access After He Shared Coronavirus Misinformation

Twitter called out the president’s son for violating its policy on “spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19”

Donald Trump Jr., son of President Donald Trump, speaks on stage during the Conservative Political Action Conference 2020 (CPAC) hosted by the American Conservative Union on February 28, 2020 in National Harbor, MD.
Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Donald Trump Jr. has limited access to his Twitter account after sharing a video on the social media platform that violated its Covid-19 misinformation rules, the company confirmed Tuesday. 

A Twitter spokesperson called out the president’s son for violating its policy on “spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to Covid-19.”

The post in question, a viral video about Hydroxychloroquine being used to treat Covid-19, has since been deleted. A Twitter spokesman declined to comment further. 

Trump Jr. is still able to browse the app, but is unable to tweet, retweet, follow or like posts for a 12-hour period.

In a statement to CNBC, Andy Surabian, a spokesman for Trump Jr., echoed unproven complaints from conservatives that social media companies like Twitter try to silence conservatives on their respective platforms.

“Twitter suspending Don Jr. for sharing a viral video of medical professionals discussing their views on Hydroxychloroquine is further proof that Big Tech is intent on killing free expression online and is another instance of them committing election interference to stifle Republican voices,” Surabian said in the statement. 

Twitter said it did not suspend Trump Jr.‘s account, just limited his access. With the exception of the tweet that Twitter said violates its policies, the rest of Trump Jr.’s tweets are still visible on his page.

Twitter has been cracking down on misinformation and harassment on its platform over the past several weeks, causing several conservative commentators and politicians to condemn the app for how it moderates content. It has also in recent weeks started labeling tweets from President Trump, including one that Twitter said glorified violence during the George Floyd protests in May.

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