Tech Giant Twitter Accuses Trump of Being “Fraudulent”
Recently, social media giant Twitter has added a “get the facts” link about mail-in-ballots after President Donald Trump expressed his concern on its potential dangers and susceptibility to voter fraud. The Twitter link was filled with numerous articles from left-wing media establishments such as CNN, New York Times, and Washington Post, all of which were aimed to discredit the President’s concerns.
The incident began when Trump wrote: “There is NO WAY (ZERO!) that Mail-In Ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent.” The President explained that mailboxes can be potentially robbed, or that voter ballots can be forged and even illegally printed.
There is NO WAY (ZERO!) that Mail-In Ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent. Mail boxes will be robbed, ballots will be forged & even illegally printed out & fraudulently signed. The Governor of California is sending Ballots to millions of people, anyone.....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 26, 2020
The President called out Twitter for choosing sides, “They are saying my statement on Mail-In Ballots, which will lead to massive corruption and fraud, is incorrect.” The President continued that it was all “based on fact-checking by Fake News CNN and the Amazon Washington Post.”
.@Twitter is now interfering in the 2020 Presidential Election. They are saying my statement on Mail-In Ballots, which will lead to massive corruption and fraud, is incorrect, based on fact-checking by Fake News CNN and the Amazon Washington Post....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 26, 2020
Trump also warned the social media giant about the possible consequences of their actions, citing that they have been “stifling” the people’s right to “free speech” and that he would not stand back and let it happen.
....Twitter is completely stifling FREE SPEECH, and I, as President, will not allow it to happen!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 26, 2020
Due to increasing media bias, Trump had issued previous warnings on tech companies for their deliberate decision to censor conservatives on social media. Last month, Trump also issued a Twitter post in which he called out the company for its unfair and “discriminatory” treatment among Republicans.
“The best thing ever to happen to Twitter is Donald Trump.” @MariaBartiromo So true, but they don’t treat me well as a Republican. Very discriminatory, hard for people to sign on. Constantly taking people off list. Big complaints from many people. Different names-over 100 M.....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 23, 2019
However, Trump had not closed his doors in creating partnerships with tech companies. In fact, in April of 2019, the President thanked Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey for keeping an “open dialogue” on the social media platform.
Great meeting this afternoon at the @WhiteHouse with @Jack from @Twitter. Lots of subjects discussed regarding their platform, and the world of social media in general. Look forward to keeping an open dialogue! pic.twitter.com/QnZi579eFb
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 23, 2019
One of the top articles on the Twitter link includes a CNN op-ed, in which author Maegan Vazquez claimed that Trump’s concerns on the mail-in ballot system had been “unsubstantiated” and that there had been very little or rare instances when the system had led to “voter fraud.”
However, Breitbart News refuted CNN’s claims, citing real instances in which such practices had led to voter fraud. The media outlet wrote of a recent incident in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas in which nine people had been charged for “vote harvesting.” Another political operative in New York was also charged for submitting absentee ballots. Moreover, a Heritage Foundation also revealed that there had been more than 1,000 cases of voter fraud.
Trump’s 2020 re-election team also fought back. In a statement, the President’s campaign manager, Brad Parscale, said, “the obvious reason is that Democrats are just fine with the possibility of voter fraud. And many in the media just see the world their way.” Parscale also cited that Silicon Valley would try to do everything to “obstruct’ and “interfere’ with Trump’s campaign.
The tech giant’s decision to release the link came a few hours after it had apologized for allowing MSNBC host, Joe Scarborough, to post an insensitive tweet over an intern who had died while he was working for congress.