Trump threatens to close down social media platforms which ‘silence conservative voices’ after Twitter posts warning under his tweet

Donald Trump has threatened to close down social media platforms, a day after Twitter posted an advisory fact-checking notice on one of his tweets.

Social media firms suppressed conservative points of view, the president claimed – without any evidence – before saying his administration would “strongly regulate [the companies] or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen”.

Mr Trump advised the companies to “Clean up your act, NOW!!!!”.

It is unclear whether the president’s professed goal would be compatible with the first amendment to the US constitution.

His outburst also followed Twitter’s refusal to delete a number of posts in which he accused a television presenter of murder, again without any evidence.

The widower of Lori Klausutis, a staffer for former Republican congressman Joe Scarborough who died some two decades ago in an accident, had asked Twitter boss Jack Dorsey to remove the messages because they sullied his wife’s memory.

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