2020 forced some major existential questions into the foreground, and 2021 is already adding a few to the list. As of Friday evening, there’s one more: Who is Donald Trump without Twitter? The soon-to-be-former president was banned from the service for life on Friday evening.
We imagine Trump will be asking himself that when he wakes in the middle of the night and reaches for his phone from muscle memory only to realize he can’t tweet, and you can be sure his closest allies will be huffing about the move. And first up from the inner circle is Don Jr., who wasted zero time complaining about the unfairness of it all.
Of course, he aired his grievances on Twitter, first writing: “We are living Orwell’s 1984. Free-speech no longer exists in America. It died with big tech and what’s left is only there for a chosen few. This is absolute insanity!”
And following that up with: “So the ayatollah, and numerous other dictatorial regimes can have Twitter accounts with no issue despite threatening genocide to entire countries and killing homosexuals etc… but The President of the United States should be permanently suspended,” adding, “Mao would be proud.”
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We are living Orwell’s 1984. Free-speech no longer exists in America. It died with big tech and what’s left is only there for a chosen few.
This is absolute insanity! https://t.co/s2z8ymFsLX
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) January 9, 2021
So the ayatollah, and numerous other dictatorial regimes can have Twitter accounts with no issue despite threatening genocide to entire countries and killing homosexuals etc… but The President of the United States should be permanently suspended.
Mao would be proud.
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) January 9, 2021
For context, Twitter banned Donald Trump from the platform for life less than 11 days before he is scheduled to leave office. The move came two days after the president incited an angry mob to break into the U.S. Capitol while Congress was in the process of certifying Joe Biden‘s victory, a terroristic rampage that left five dead and the nation stunned at a traitorous element in its midst.
Senator Josh Hawley made a similar “free speech is dead” declaration after Simon & Schuster canceled his book deal in the wake of the events at the Capitol. Hawley was one of the senators accused of helping to incite the mob of rioters. Of course nobody is entitled to a book deal under the First Amendment, just like free speech has limits, inciting violence among them.
whatsaywhat
Twitter is not the government. It’s a private company.
Just like a bakery doesn’t have to bake a gay wedding cake, Twitter doesn’t have to broadcast the deranged rantings of a death cult and its leader.
Kieran
Why are you people so afraid of Free speech? Does everyone have to march in lockstep like pre-programmed groupthink robots? America was founded on the principle of Freedom. Freedom of Speech. Freedom of thought. Freedom of Religion. And Freedom to be an individual. I thought we all wanted diversity to be celebrated? Apparently the darker forces of human nature are taking over and it doesn’t bode well for anyone who differs from the prevailing orthodoxy.
Cam
@Kieran
Why do right wingers keep lying about what free speech is? Trump has the right to speak, in fact, he can walk his orange a** 50 feet to the studio, call a press conference and have every media outlet in the world hanging on his every word.
There is no 1st Amendment right to a Twitter account. But it is adorable that the same people SCREAMING that business has the right to refuse to serve LGBTQ people, are saying they don’t have the right to punish an account for violating their rules.
Nice try troll.
ShiningSex
@Kieran, IT’S NOT A CENSOR ON FREE SPEECH. FIRST OFF, IF YOU’RE ON A COMPANY’S OWN SITE, IT’S A PRIVILEGE TO BE ON THERE NOT A RIGHT. SECOND, YOU CANNOT YELL “FIRE” IN A CROWDED PLACE AND CRY IT’S FREE SPEECH. IT’S ILLEGAL.
GET IT RIGHT TRUMPTARDS.
dhmonarch89
nothing is stopping Trump from free speech- as President, he can hold a press conference and address the nation 20 times a day if he wants. Even after he leaves (still holding my breath) he can stand on a street corner and express his free speech (another reason to aid prosecution and make a prison term for sedition, terrorism and treason a life sentence).
dhmonarch89
I got banned from twitter when I wished Trumped Junior would be mauled by a bear (there was a story about his getting a special license to hunt grizzlies in Alaska, I replied- ‘I hope a bear mauls him’ and twitter banned me from posting for life- I still have account, but only to read people’s posts. I don’t bother signing in- I’ll occasionally follow a link and look at a twitter pic today. Don’t miss it.
Openminded
Social media abuse is at the core of a lot of America’s problems. Trump is a bully with or without Twitter. He is the poster child for the dark side of social media. Just like the SoHo Karen who recently attacked the black youth whom she wrongfully thought had her IPhone, too many people are emotionally attached to their social media feeds. Just “Put the phone down and step away”.
whatsaywhat
It’s called addiction.
Americans are addicted to social media. They are addicted to outrage.
Topazme
this stupid ass person cannot understand that trump still has free speech and Twitter is a private company and platform and when you sign onto that you agree with terms and conditions that you wont spread hate speech and violence and Trump has done exactly that and by doing that violated the terms of agreement between him and twitter….so twitter has every right to throw him out of their platform….he can still shout from a road outside his house or go to fox news and but now he wont have a platform on twitter and facebook that reaches millions of people….Good Riddance!!
Mack
No one ever said a Trump was smart except for Donald. And he’s proven he’s not stable nor is he a genius.
TomG
I agree with Mack, and since Trump had to pay someone to take his SAT’s for him, well, that speaks for itself. Besides, those of us who have been watching closely KNOW that Trump is functionally illiterate. His dad did him no favors in buying his diplomas with donations to schools. Trump is the LEAST EDUCATED president this nation EVER HAD !
rand503
But he is free to use Parler!
dhmonarch89
Apple has given Parler an ultimatum to implement a FULL moderation plan for it’s platform w/in 24 hours or face expulsion from the App store. Parler’s CEO is refusing. Check in tomorrow.
glennmcbride
Just saw where both google and the Apple store dropped Parler.
michel_banen
A bit easy to ban Trump at the end of his term. Trump gained Twitter millions of users and Twitter should have banned Trump a long time ago. But hey – better late than never.
Mister P
Free speech does not allow one to yell fire in a theatre or to incite a riot or a coup. Just like religious freedom the right does not understand what free speech is.
dcscotts
All this talk about free speech is irrelevant; and Donnie’s complaints are ironic and misinformed. Free speech ONLY applies to governmental action. The GOVERNMENT cannot take action, except in limited circumstances, to limit speech. Private entities, like Twitter, can do what they want. The irony of Donnie complaining about a private entity limiting (what he feels is governmental speech) is kinda funny to me.
Jim
Poor Don, he probably doesn’t really know who Orwell was let alone have read any of his books.
SAD.
Let’s push all the right wing, fascists and bigots to their own platform so we can better monitor the treasonous behavior.
Man About Town
Publishing companies have been rejecting manuscripts since Gutenberg invented the printing press, and idiots like Hawley continue to whine about said rejections defying their First Amendment rights. I worry about their kids!
Kangol2
Hawley can self-publish on Amazon, or go with a right-wing outfit like Regnery. He has options and no one is guaranteed a book contract! Do these right-wing fanatics not know how private business works? Oh wait, that’s right, they don’t, and they elected a fake businessman clown fascist with Russia’s help and after he destroyed the US economy (second “businessman” Republican President in a row to do so) they still claim he was a success!
Cam
No matter what he does, his dad is incapable of loving him. You think he’d get the memo.
AxelDC
SNL has been too kind to Trump’s nitwit kids.
amanwithanedge
so ugly, I can’t stand looking at it.
fishpaw13
You better watch what you say you idiot, you could be next. One can only hope the whole family gets banned.
GayEGO
Boo hoo, Donnie Jr! You should be banned as well!
Tombear
Trump belongs on Parler with all the other right wing loons! I will admit, I thought it was entertaing to read the orange turd’s babbling on Twitter. The only thing that beats his outrageous lies for entertainment is “Golden Girls” reruns!
LMG
Look at his eyes. Donnie, jr. is still as high as a kite. He and his wan looking sister Ivanka along with her other brother – Eric the Dumb – and her husband – Jared the Fair – should also be banned from Twitter as well as polite society. Trump the Golem forgets that the very people he supports would have no qualms about harming Ivanka, Jared, and their children (his grandchildren) who are all Jewish. Evidently, Lard Ass must think that Anti-Semitism is selective. “Bring me the uneducated and the great unwashed and I will lead them into the Kingdom of Donald Trump.”
Mack
Junior needs to shut up and go snort some more coke. That’s about all he’s good for. Saw a video of his girlfriend celebrating the Capitol riots. Disgusting woman.
voyy
NSA should sequester the whole family in Guantanamo for questioning till they are deemed no danger to national security.
TheAbsoluteTRUTH
I love how all you twitter and Facebook are private company folks are too damn stupid to understand how dangerous it is to give mass communication controls over info to one or two companies, you guys are perfect for countries like china and venezuela
ThatGuy22
Nobody’s stopping you from pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and starting your own media platform.
thNOLA59
Such a dweeb!
hotflyer99
HATE speech is not FREE speech because people PAY with their lives.If you notice the 3 bold words that’s what happen at the Capital as well as Charlottesville.It’s so sad that people have died under this administration for so called hate groups “free speech “.And let’s not talk about Rudy Gulianni saying to the crowds “Let’s have trial by Combat”. It’s a sad state of affairs.
barryaksarben
Free speech is one thing but KNOWINGLY LYING TO INCITE VIOLENCE IS QUITE ANOTHER. And liek the guy says Twitter is a private company and like the homophobic baker can truen away trump the gay wedding cake
SaintRock
All this crying about ‘free speech’ is hypocritical coming from any Trump or conservative stooge under Trump regime….when words were banned on official governmnet websites and other communication like ‘climate change’ and even “president elect Biden” was forbidden by Trump rule. No free speech there. Conservatives love to control words and speech. That is one of their great weapons to forbid certain words and replace with a ‘spin’. example Death Tax….. Death Panel…. no such thing. Hide real meaning. Free Speech is not what Trump wants.
cleetus10
Exactly.
nm4047
on the basis of the old man being banned for (possible) incitement why has the the other nutter also been banned for same reasoning?
jcwaldeck2
BYEDON!
Pepper1dancer
Forget about your papa being knocked off Twitter. I want to know what your reaction is to the folks who died after following your papas words.
cleetus10
They don’t care. You saw the footage at the Capitol. Yeah. A second Revolutionary War. Let’s put our feet on the desks, then after we’ve terrorized and pissed off other rich assholes (like Trump, only there are more or them) we can go home, crack a beer, and kick back like we just went to a football game.
And what does Hannity do for the brazen footsoldiers? He blames Antifa for them.
WTF. I thought y’all were these “brave patriots” willing to kill and be killed for The King. And Hannity has to step up and deflect for you??? Whoah!
You guys weren’t serious about a second Revolutionary War. You weren’t trying to alter an unjust system. You wanted a second Civil War and when your Grandmaster Cheerleader got ousted, you weren’t sure how you were gonna survive.
“What will we do now??? Who will make us relevant and great???” Answer: nobody. Nobody can make you again, what you never were to begin with.
I think some of you knuckleheads thought you were doing it for the right reasons. But a lot of y’all … just want to Hate someone. And it doesn’t matter who or what it is.
“I hate Socialism!” (But hey. I’d like the government to send me that 2 thousand dollar check. I deserve it.)
For what??? For being brave with a gun and a bunch of your like-minded buddies? Is that truly what defines you?
What happened when you got home, fellas?
Freeze! FBI!
“B-b-b-b-but … noooo. It wasn’t us. (Sniff, sniff.) The Warriors did it.”
Holy Ol’ Cow. All I got to say about that is …
It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter what I say about anything.
Wasn’t a “second Revolutionary War,” though.
The news media got it right for once. It was an insurrection, or at least an attempted insurrection. And a pretty lame one at that.
Here’s a clue. Next time you want to get behind a cause with all of your Heart and all of your Soul, remember. When your “holy cause” is Hate (with a few of your petty grievances tossed in for bad measure) then God isn’t on your side. And isn’t that how some of you justify your Hatred? “He’s like unto King Cyrus! Who can make war with him??? Hooray!”
(Same logic those folks used to crucify their own God. Hm.)
Anyway this has been … the opposite of fun.
You know. To all you pseudo-Christians out there, fretting about who will be your leader now that Cyrus has been banned from your holy temple? Why don’t you try Jesus for a while. I know, I know. Not as fun as Trump smiting your enemies for you on Twitter.
But if you try to follow Jesus, just a little bit … He might show you the way back to compassion, love (for someone besides yourselves and your Fake King), hope.
Just a thought. I know, I know. I’m a blasphemer or somethin’. But please. Give it a try. You might be surprised.
ShiningSex
IT’S NOT A CENSOR ON FREE SPEECH. FIRST OFF, IF YOU’RE ON A COMPANY’S OWN SITE, IT’S A PRIVILEGE TO BE ON THERE NOT A RIGHT. SECOND, YOU CANNOT YELL “FIRE” IN A CROWDED PLACE AND CRY IT’S FREE SPEECH. IT’S ILLEGAL.
GET IT RIGHT TRUMPTARDS.
ShiningSex
ps Don Jr. is ugly as sin
woodroad34
Both he and Eric have the “rat face” like they’re about to chew on some cheese, which is strange because their father has a frog face. They are not pretty people and thinking that everyone owes them something makes the inside match the outside…kind of a ‘drapes and carpet’ thing.
Deek62
Poor little guy……still trying to win the love, approval, and validation of his father. He’ll do just about anything to get it. Family history repeating itself.
woodroad34
I remember W (another entitled rich boy) commenting at one time that he’ll ‘just break stuff and someone else will have to clean it up’. This spawn kind of has the same mentality….”why do I have to do stuff!? Why are people mean to us?! Waaaahhh!”
Cam
Very telling that these Republicans aren’t talking about the assault on the U.S. Capitol, or about the murdered Capitol police officer, no, apparently the biggest thing going is their Twitter accounts.
Frank Lee Mideer
Gee, I wonder why he always looks like he’s coked out of his head??
Frank Lee Mideer
Gee, I wonder why he always looks like he’s coked out of his head??