It only took two hours for Trump's administration to contradict his threat to shut down Twitter
President Trump took to his favorite social media platform to attack social media platforms on Wednesday morning, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo certainly didn't do anything to help his boss' case.
Shortly after Trump claimed on Twitter he would "strongly regulate" or "close down" social media platforms that are allegedly silencing "conservative voices," Pompeo sent out a tweet saying the U.S. "will not tolerate" government-imposed censorship or shutdowns.
Pompeo's tweet isn't in response to Trump, exactly — it references the Freedom Online Coalition, a partnership of 31 governments seeking to improve Internet freedom. The group has been vocal about combating any attempts to limit freedom of expression or increase Internet surveillance as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
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Trump's social media threats came after Twitter labeled two of his tweets as misleading on Tuesday, the first time that distinction was given to the president on the platform.
Seeing as Pompeo specifically boosted the FOC's statement and has been vocal about combating COVID-19 disinformation, it's unclear if his tweet was a targeted dig at Trump's situation or just a case of bad-timing.
After all, Trump isn't exactly known for being on the same page as his employees.
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