REUTERS/Erin Scott
- President Donald Trump attacked Twitter Thanksgiving night for making “false trends” and demanded again that Section 230 should be “terminated.”
- Twitter users mocked the president using the hashtag #DiaperDon after he sat at a small table during a news conference and posted frustrated tweets.
- There are more than 230,000 posts using #DiaperDon on Twitter.
- Trump also echoed his previous claims that Twitter is biased against conservatives.
- Amongst his 14 tweets Thursday, he also targeted Fox News, Alexandria-Ocasio Cortez, and NFL players kneeling.
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Most American families enjoyed a humble Thanksgiving this year. But not President Donald Trump.
The US president spent most of his Thanksgiving night ripping into Twitter for making “false trends” when the #DiaperDon hashtag was trending on the social media site. The hashtag has more than 230,000 tweets attached to it.
He also demanded an end to Section 230, which is part of a law that means tech platforms are allowed to set their own rules about how they regulate content on their platforms.
The hashtag followed a news conference Thursday evening in which Trump snapped at White House correspondent Jeff Mason, who asked the president if he would concede once the Electoral College votes to officially make Joe Biden the winner of the US election.
“I’m the President of the United States. Don’t ever talk to the president that way,” Trump told Mason. “You’re just a lightweight.”
In his tweet after the conference, Trump attacked "fake news media" for its coverage of the event and reiterated false claims that the US election was "rigged" and that he won against Joe Biden.
Amid Trump's frustration at reporters and constant tweets about election fraud, Twitter users began to mock the president using the hashtag #DiaperDon after he sat at a small table during the press conference.
REUTERS/Erin Scott
In response, Trump tweeted: "Twitter is sending out totally false "Trends" that have absolutely nothing to do with what is really trending in the world. They make it up, and only negative "stuff.""
He also echoed his previous claims that Twitter discriminates against conservatives.
—Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2020
But he didn't stop there.
In the same hour, Trump tweeted that Section 230 – one of Big Tech's biggest shields – should be "terminated" for "the purposes of national security."
—Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2020
This isn't the first time Trump has called for a repeal of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. In May, the president signed an executive order seeking to empower federal regulators to amend Section 230.
In recent months, Trump has escalated this repeal as both Twitter and Facebook fact-checked and put labels next to his posts to prevent voter misinformation and premature declarations of victory during the election period.
Both Republicans and Democrats have said Section 230 needs to be updated.
But this became more of a reality October 15 when Ajit Pai, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, said he'd issue guidance redefining the law.
Read more: Republicans sold out democracy to appease Trump's loser tantrum
Trump posted and shared a total of 14 tweets on Thanksgiving holiday, including tweets from conservative commentators, such as David J Harris Jr, who falsely suggested that Trump could still win the election.
Other tweets targeted Fox News, Alexandria-Ocasio Cortez, and NFL players kneeling to protest against racial injustice before their game Thursday.
His flurry of tweets spurred on Twitter users to include #DiaperDon in their posts.
—Richard Hine (@richardhine) November 27, 2020
—Paul Carnahan (@pacarnahan) November 27, 2020