Biden Team Doesn’t ‘Miss’ Trump After Twitter Ban: Press Secretary

Biden Team Doesn’t ‘Miss’ Trump After Twitter Ban: Press Secretary
The suspended Twitter account of President Donald Trump appears on a laptop screen on Jan. 8, 2021. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Zachary Stieber
2/1/2021
Updated:
2/1/2021

President Joe Biden’s team does not miss former President Donald Trump’s tweets, the White House press secretary said Monday.

“I can’t say we miss him on Twitter,” Jen Psaki told reporters at the White House while answering a reporter who wondered whether Trump’s absence on social media has made Biden’s job easier.

Asked if Biden supports continuing the ban on Trump from Twitter, Psaki added: “I think that’s a decision made by Twitter. He’s spoken to the need for social media platforms to continue to take steps to reduce hate speech. but we don’t have more for you on that.”

Twitter permanently banned Trump on Jan. 8, while he was still president. Twitter claimed Trump incited the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol. Trump was later impeached for the alleged incitement. Trump had told supporters that day to go to the Capitol to protest but to remain peaceful.

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey later said Twitter’s ban was divisive and set a dangerous precedent.

Facebook, TikTok, and a slew of other platforms also banned Trump before he left office.

Trump told reporters last month that “Big Tech has made a terrible mistake, and very, very bad for our country.”

“They’re dividing and divisive, and they’re showing something that I’ve been predicting for a long time. I’ve been predicting it for a long time, and people didn’t act on it,” he added, referring to his push to alter or annul Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which shields technology companies from most lawsuits.

Biden’s choice for commerce secretary said last week she is willing to work with Congress to amend Section 230.