President Trump Has Started Another War On Twitter. This Time, It’s With Twitter

Can a sitting President of the United States shut down a social media app?

A better question to ask might be: Why do we even think that’s possible?

This week, President Trump created quite a stir when he claimed that mail-in ballots in an election lead to false voter counts.

Then, Twitter created another stir by adding a fact-check label to the President’s tweet with a link to “find out more information” on the topic.

Twitter claims this is a move to add “context” to the tweet.

In case you have not heard of the word context before, let me explain: It means the social media company is questioning the validity of the facts. The link includes additional material from major media outlets and experts.

Essentially, it’s a rebuttal.

Now, this is not a political commentary and I’m not about to address the election variables. What interests me more is that this has erupted into an all-out social media war. In a follow-up tweet, President Trump threatened to shut down Twitter and hinted at “big actions” to come.

Okay, press pause for a moment.

Nearly 100,000 people have died in this country from the COVID-19 pandemic. (If you have not reviewed it yet, The New York Times created a website with a figure representing each person who has died and call-outs with specific information on many of the victims.) There are more pressing topics.

I use social media and tend to participate as much as anyone. There’s value in public discourse. I’ve been known to scan Trump’s feed on occasion, if only to see what topics are being discussed and the replies.

There is also something amazing about being able to read about what Elon Musk or a famous celebrity is thinking about. I still remember the tweet Musk made in reference to one of my articles. It’s refreshing to have a platform where anyone can share their thoughts and dreams. As a journalist, I’m all about free speech.

And yet, this is a hysterical situation.

The answer to the burning question about shutting down an app is — of course not. The government is here to provide security and stability to citizens.

According to the Founding Fathers, the President of the United States is a servant of the people, not a king. We are not living in a totalitarian state where a self-appointed czar can deliver dictums to the masses. The President, according to every definition I’ve ever read, should not and does not have the authority to dictate the features and functions of any commercial business. Period.

So how do we address this problem? 

You can pick whichever side of the political aisle you want, but I’m here to voice the concern about more than free speech. This is about free enterprise. About the rights of companies to create innovative products. The government can regulate and a President can govern, but neither can dictate. What comes next? Presidents determining the color of Chevy cars? Choosing whether Apple offers a 3.5mm headphone jack again? (On that last point, it would be nice.) 

We’re not talking about a life-threatening issue here. It’s a social media war, not an actual war. I write a column about apps like Twitter and Facebook, and yet I also know there are much more serious issues in the world. 

Adding a fact-check flag to a tweet is not one of them.