Add YouTube to the list of online spaces where Donald Trump can no longer rile up his supporters. The Google-owned company announced Tuesday that “in light of concerns about the ongoing potential for violence,” it has slapped the outgoing president with his “1st strike” and has blocked him from uploading new videos “for a *minimum* of 7 days.”
YouTube has also “indefinitely” disabled all comments on Trump’s YouTube posts, again citing “ongoing concerns about violence.”
“After review, and in light of concerns about the ongoing potential for violence, we removed new content uploaded to Donald J. Trump’s channel for violating our policies. It now has its 1st strike & is temporarily prevented from uploading new content for a *minimum* of 7 days,” YouTube said in a statement posted Tuesday night on Twitter.
“Given the ongoing concerns about violence, we will also be indefinitely disabling comments on President Trump’s channel, as we’ve done to other channels where there are safety concerns found in the comments section.”
Read further explanation of the actions by Google here.
The news comes six days after the deadly riot Trump incited in Washington as part of his continued attempts to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 election. On Trump’s urging, thousands of his supporters stormed the Capitol building on Wednesday, causing members of Congress and Vice President Mike Pence to be evacuated while they were supposed to be certifying Joe Biden’s presidential victory. Rioters chanted threats against Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, assaulted journalists and police officers, and vandalized and looted the building.
Six people died as a result of the siege, including two Capitol police officers. Investigations are ongoing into the debacle, as it appears at least three Capitol police officers were openly supportive of the rioters, with at least 10 more under investigation. And a Secret Service agent has also been suspended for expressing support for Trump’s violence on social media.
YouTube is far from the only company to distance itself from Trump following the violence he unleashed. Virtually all major newspapers, including the conservative Wall Street Journal, have demanded Trump resign or be removed from office, and dozens of companies have ceased all business with Trump.
And YouTube is far from the only online space that has cut Trump off. For instance, Trump has been permanently booted from Twitter… which means we won’t be able to report on precisely how the President feels about this action for the moment.
Congress will vote on an article of impeachment on Wednesday.
2/ Given the ongoing concerns about violence, we will also be indefinitely disabling comments on President Trump’s channel, as we’ve done to other channels where there are safety concerns found in the comments section. https://t.co/1aBENHGU5z
— YouTubeInsider (@YouTubeInsider) January 13, 2021