Google cites violence concerns following the deadly Capitol siege last week in restricting the president's channel from uploading new content for at least a week.
- Jan 13, 2021
AceShowbiz - Donald Trump is losing another social media platform to channel his opinions and aspirations. The president's official YouTube channel has been suspended in the wake of the violent siege at the Capitol Hill that turned deadly last week and potentially longer.
Announcing the decision on late Tuesday, January 12, Google cited the potential for violence in restricting Trump's channel from uploading new content for at least a week. "After review, and in light of concerns about the ongoing potential for violence, we removed new content uploaded to Donald J. Trump's channel for violating our policies," the company's spokesperson said in a statement.
"As a result, in accordance with our long-standing strikes system, the channel is now prevented from uploading new videos or livestreams for a minimum of seven days-which may be extended," the company added. YouTube will also indefinitely disable comments on Trump's channel "given the ongoing concerns about violence."
YouTube didn't detail which video uploaded on Trump's channel that earned him the said ban, but the company said that it will revisit the decision after the one-week timeout. YouTube also removed content from the White House's channel for violating policy, the company told CNN Business.
YouTube is the latest social media platforms that is limiting Trump's access on it after Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat blocked the outgoing president. His speech and tweet that incited supporters to storm the Capitol building on January 6 were at the center of the issue.
Following the ban, Trump blamed big tech companies for dividing the nation. "I think that Big Tech is doing a horrible thing for our country and to our country, and I believe it's going to be a catastrophic mistake for them. They're dividing and divisive," he told reporters at the start of a trip to Texas on early Tuesday.
