Trump threatens to regulate or shut down social media companies

Trump threatens to regulate or shut down social media companies

The president appears to be furious after Twitter tagged some of his claims as false or misleading.

This report produced by Zachary Goelman

U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening to regulate or shut down social media companies, apparently furious after Twitter flagged some of his tweets with fact check warnings -- as in, potentially misleading or false.

He wrote, "Republicans feel that Social Media Platforms totally silence conservatives voices.

We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen." It is unclear whether that threat suggests he might take legal action.

A day earlier he accused Twitter of "completely stifling free speech." Twitter on Tuesday took the step of adding the warning badges to Trump's tweets about mail-in ballots after the president claimed without evidence that voting by mail would result in fraud.

Readers who clicked the blue text were taken to a news story debunking Trump's claims. Some have urged Twitter take stronger action against Trump's online allegations.

The social media platform declined to remove tweets by the president regurgitating unsubstantiated claims that TV host Joe Scarborough might be involved with the death of a woman, which was ruled accidental, 20 years ago.

The president appears eager to push back against Twitter, and on Wednesday reiterated his unproven claims about mail-in ballots.