Trump and Twitter feud over fact-checking

WASHINGTON—Twitter on Tuesday placed warnings under two of President Donald Trump’s tweets criticizing California’s proposed mail-in ballot plans. “Twitter is completely stifling FREE SPEECH, and I, as President, will not allow it to happen!” Trump responded later in the day. The president had tweeted that mail-in voting would produce forgery, fraud, and ballot robbery, leading to a “rigged” presidential election in November.

What do the Twitter warnings do? They consist of a blue exclamation point next to the phrase, “Get the facts about mail-in ballots.” Both the symbol and phrase link to a Twitter news feed claiming Trump made false statements about the effects of mail-in ballots. The feed also includes a series of tweets condemning the president’s claims. Trump said on Wednesday that Republicans could “strongly regulate” or “close down” social media platforms that restricted conservative speech.

Dig deeper: Read Steve West’s report in Liberties about the debate over Big Tech censorship.