WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - US President Donald Trump lashed out against social media platforms for discriminating against Republicans. Naming Twitter and Facebook in a news conference, the President said it is a very dangerous situation, and something should be done about it.
Trump made the remarks when a reporter drew his attention to a larger discussion that Senator Josh Hawley has been leading about making social media companies liable for the content published on their platform.
'Well, we have to do something,' Trump said at a joint White House news conference with his visiting Brazilian counterpart Jair Bolsonaro.
'I tell you, I have many, many millions of followers on Twitter. And it's different than it used to be. Things are happening, names are taken off, people aren't getting through. You've heard the same complaints. And it seems to be, if they're conservative, if they're Republicans, if they're in a certain group, there's discrimination and big discrimination. I see it absolutely on Twitter and Facebook', he told reporters.
Trump said he has around 100 million followers on Twitter and Facebook combined, and almost 60 million on Twitter alone.
He alleged that there is collusion targeting GOP.
Trump said it is 'really unfair' to see 'back-office statements made by executives of the various companies, in many cases, hatred they have for a certain group of people that happen to be in power, that happen to have won the election'.
'Something is happening with those groups of folks that are running Facebook and Google and Twitter,' according to Trump. 'And I do think we have to get to the bottom of it.'
It is for the first time that the president, who contends he has largely been covered unfairly by the press, is turning against the social media, accusing it of bias.
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