Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said Thursday that social media companies should leave President Trump on their platforms, despite his “corrosive” claims for election fraud.
Twitter cut off the former president of about 88 million followers after the deadly riot on January 6, when a group of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol while Congress ratified President Biden’s victory, and five people, including a U.S. police officer of the Capitol, was left dead. At the time, Twitter said Trump’s tweets “pose a danger of further incitement to violence.”
Facebook, Snapchat and Reddit also suspended Trump’s online presence indefinitely after the siege.
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Gates, during an interview with CNBC, asked if he would allow Trump on social media if he were a member of Facebook’s supervisory board, suggesting he would do so.
“I think at some point he will probably be re-admitted and probably re-admitted,” the billionaire philanthropist said.
Gates suggested that if social media companies allow Trump to return, they could slap false statements he makes with a warning label.
“It’s weird when you, you know, say the election was stolen without any facts there. And how corrosive it is,” Gates said. “But I bet they’ll find a way to let him in again.”
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Democrats and a handful of Republicans have accused Trump of inciting the Capitol attack by accepting the outcome of the November election and spreading unfounded conspiracy theories about voter fraud.
House Democrats, along with ten Republicans, sued Trump on Jan. 13. The Senate voted 53-47 on Saturday to acquit the former president.
“You know, in a way … people’s interest in what he says can go down a lot,” Gates added. “It will be interesting to watch.”
Since being banned from Twitter and other social media sites, Trump has generated far fewer headlines. He gave his first post-presidency interview on Wednesday during Fox News’ ‘Outnumbered’, following the death of conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh.
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