Twitter adds ‘glorifying violence’ warning to Trump tweet on situation in Minneapolis
![President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus in the Rose Garden of the White House, Monday, April 27, 2020, in Washington.](https://kstp.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/kstp_800TrumpCOVID19UpdateApr27APAlexBrandon.jpg)
President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus in the Rose Garden of the White House, Monday, April 27, 2020, in Washington. [AP/ Alex Brandon]
Twitter has added a warning to one of President Donald Trump’s tweets about protests in Minneapolis, saying it violated the platform’s rules about "glorifying violence."
Trump spoke out on the protests in the Twin Cities that have erupted in response to the in-custody death of George Floyd.
"I can’t stand back & watch this happen to a great American City, Minneapolis. A total lack of leadership," Trump wrote on Twitter.
He criticized the leadership of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and threatened to send in National Guard troops to contain the situation after the Minneapolis Police Department’s 3rd Precinct was overtaken by protesters and set ablaze. In the tweet he says "When the looting starts, the shooting starts."
….These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2020
Trump said he had spoken with Minnesota Gov. Walz and said that "the Military is with him all the way."
The third tweet to be flagged came amid days of violent protests over the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who pleaded for air as a white police officer kneeled on his neck.
The earlier tweets that Twitter flagged were not hidden but did come with an option to “get the facts about mail-in ballots," a link that led to fact checks and news stories by media organizations. Those tweets called mail-in ballots “fraudulent” and predicted that “mail boxes will be robbed,” among other things.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.