Leaf&Core

Trump’s Back

Danielle from Leaf and Core
Reading Time: 6 minutes.
A photo of Donald Trump from 2016 on his campaign. He stands with a "Make America Great Again" hat in front of a podium. An American flag is behind him.

Donald Trump speaking at a rally in Fountain Hills, Arizona in 2016. Photo: Gage Skidmore, CC 3.0.

After Donald Trump encouraged a violent coup attempt on January 6th, 2021, social networks finally took some responsibility for the chaos they created, by banning one man. Sure, the platforms all still left other stochastic terrorists on their platforms, spreading hate and misinformation, encouraging violence, but they cut off the head of the hydra, and called the job finished. Naturally, the problem only got worse.

In August, the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) featured a banner proudly proclaiming, “We are all domestic terrorists.” Elon Musk bought Twitter, and allowed neo-Nazis, and hate speech back on the platform. Trump started his own ministry of truth: Truth Social. Disinformation campaigns have encouraged violence through harsh rhetoric, leading to bomb threats at children’s hospitals. Trump claimed he would be arrested over a week ago, and people should protest in the streets, calling back to his enticement of violence in January two years ago. He was neither arrested, nor were there large groups protesting his supposed arrest, though that actual arrest and unreset could still be coming. However, there was still terror in Trump’s name. The Manhattan District Attorney did receive terror threats, including an envelope filled with a white powder.

Naturally, all social networks decided now was the time to unban him. Sites like YouTube, which “redpilled” youth by driving them further into alt-right ideology, or Facebook, with their suggestion algorithm promoting hate and violence so much, it has lead to genocide and pushes users into hate groups hosted on their very site. There’s Twitter, with stochastic terrorists pushing followers to harass trans people, drag performers, and children’s hospitals. They’ve all come together to unban Trump in time for his 2024 presidential considerations or, potentially, mass violence in response to his possible arrest.

Trump’s Hate

Intentionally or not, Trump’s violent rhetoric encouraged the coup attempt at the Capitol on January 6th, 2021. He told his followers to “fight like hell” to block the democratic process. He said he’d “never concede” and that if his followers were unwilling to fight, “you’re not going to have a country anymore.” He encouraged them to “walk down to the Capitol,” where they’d “go by very different rules.” It’s hard to listen to what Trump said and not see that he drove the violence on that day. At least nine people died from the attack. Someone planted two pipe bombs near the Capitol that had to be detonated elsewhere. It was a bloody and violent show of Trump’s influence, and took the lives of five police officers and four of his followers.

“I have never been more repulsed by the mere existence of a song than one sung by a president who tried to do a coup and a literal ‘choir’ of insurrectionists who tried to help him.”

– Robert Maguire, research director for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

Since then, Trump hasn’t learned his lesson. With his indictment for allegedly using campaign funds to pay hush money to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, Trump amped up his rhetoric once again. Those clinging to power as they lose it do tend to thrash the hardest. He has since called for more protests, again using similar language that inspired the January 6th attack. During events, he’s been celebrating January 6th, going so far as to play “Justice for All” at events, a song recorded by the “J6 Prison Choir.” The choir is made up of about 20 men who are in prison for the 1/6 attack and includes a recording of Donald Trump reciting the “Pledge of Allegiance.” Many see this as him glorifying the violence on that day.

That was the hate and violence that Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and others banned Trump for. While Trump is praising the attack, the very thing that got him banned, they’ve all allowed him back on their platforms. The platforms all claim he’ll behave this time, that he won’t use their platforms for violence, despite the fact that his behavior hasn’t changed at all.

Trump promised “death & destruction” if he’s charged. He’s now been indicted. So far, at least one follower has sent a threatening envelope with a white powder inside to the Manhattan DA’s office.

“Donald’s post is eerily similar to his battle cry prior to the January 6th insurrection; including calling for protest. By doing so, Donald is hoping to rile his base, witness another violent clash on his behalf and profit from it by soliciting contributions.”

-Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, already charged for the same payments Trump now finds himself indicted for.

Where’s He Back?

On YouTube, Google re-enabled comments on his old videos. Like others, Google claimed Trump could use his YouTube account again to share his videos because they believe he is not a risk to safety. That was slightly before Trump assured us of upcoming “death & destruction,” but YouTube hasn’t reversed course.

Facebook also claimed Trump didn’t appear to be a threat to safety. The platform’s political decisions often skew right, which has landed the company in hot water. Trump’s most die-hard fans met on Facebook to plan their insurrection on 1/6, as well as the now-defunct Parler social network. Joel Kaplan is head of Facebook’s policy. He’s a former Republican advisor for George W. Bush and has been behind policy decisions at Facebook since 2011. You know, policy decisions that lead to hate speech on the platform spreading rampantly, which may have had devastating consequences. In late 2020 into 2021, those policies made it possible for Trump’s fans to plan an attack on the platform. He felt so strongly about far-right policies that he attended accused rapist Brett Kavanaugh supreme court hearings in support of the beleaguered judge. Donald Trump’s administration considered nominating Kaplan for the head of the Office of Management and Budget. He’s largely why Facebook has played nice with the far-right and became a place that largely pushes right-wing ideals.

Of course Trump is welcome at Facebook. That includes Instagram and Meta’s other properties too.

Twitter was once one of the social networks that tried to become one that didn’t push rampant hate or far-right ideals. They had rules in place that protected trans people from harassment, something other networks rarely enforced. Twitter wasn’t some special, safe place though, it still skewed right with its suggestions, except in Germany where right-wing beliefs are often held back by anti-Nazi laws (huh!). They often had to be pushed to remove hate speech or harassment. Still, at least those things were against the rules. Spreading hate and likely violence was against the rules. Then Musk bought it, advocating to push the network further right. He allowed anti-trans hate speech on the platform, which now may have been behind far-right violence and threats, like bomb threats at children’s hospitals. The Southern Poverty Law Center has called attention to the site now verifying spreaders of hate and security experts have called those Twitter users spreaders of stochastic terrorism. That is, hate speech likely made to rile people into acts of terror.

Obviously Twitter welcomed Donald Trump back. Elon Musk himself has engaged with those accused of stochastic terrorism on his platform. What would one more accused stochastic terrorist really do to a platform full of those accused of it?

A Good Reason?

I tried to see another side to this. Of course, the decision is motivated purely by greed. Trump is popular with a subset of far-right Americans. His statements are controversial and controversy drives engagement on their platforms. Engagement is money. This is why suggestion algorithms tend to skew right-wing, because it creates more controversy, and therefore more money. So much hate speech and violence comes down to one thing: it’s profitable.

Still, there is one upside. It means calls to “stand down” could come right from the horse’s mouth. Trump himself could tell his followers to stop attacking from his own account across platforms. They could receive notifications that he tweeted, or posted to Facebook. They could hear, in the moment, that they should stop any violence. Maybe that could take fuel away from any fires his own supporters started. Sure, it didn’t work on January 6th, but maybe this time it will?

Obviously it won’t, but at least the companies have something to say besides, “Hate is profitable, you guys.” It’s far more likely that they un-banned him because he would be a controversial figure and he would be running in 2024 for president. They’re rolling out the red carpet for Trump, giving him special treatment despite his continual threats of violence. But think of how much controversy will drive action on social networks!

No Good Reason to Platform Violence and Hate

While the actions of social networks looking to profit from the upcoming hate and violence they’ll likely be a platform for are reprehensible, they’re not the only ones who should be admonished. Truth Social, Donald Trump’s social network, has carried his messages of hate and anger. They’ve been a source of messages like his cry for upcoming “death & destruction” in New York over his indictment. Both Apple and Google still carry his app despite this. The man has been indicted in a crime, and will likely be arrested next week for it. Why are we still treating him as though he’s special? Anywhere that gives Trump a platform is unsafe, and any nation where he holds that platform is unsafe. To give that narcissistic madman a platform isn’t just morally reprehensible, it’s a liability.

Social networks are making sure they can profit from the insanity of Trump and his followers. At the end of the day, social destruction, genocide, coups, they’re all just side effects of the only thing that matters: profit.

But hey, maybe we won’t have to worry about Trump after all? It’s hard to tweet from prison.

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