Trump Asks Court to Force Reinstatement on Twitter

Former president and former Twitter user Donald Trump is asking a federal district judge to mandate the social media platform to restore his account. 

Trump, who was indefinitely banned from the platform on Jan. 8, lost his privileges on Twitter following a reported violation of the company’s policy and “the risk of further incitement of violence.”

“Plaintiff Donald J. Trump respectfully moves for a preliminary injunction directing, inter alia, Defendant Twitter, Inc. and all persons acting in concert with Defendant, to reinstate Plaintiff’s access to Defendant’s social media platform(s),” the filing reads, as reported by the Washington Post.

The filing from the former president’s legal team adds that Twitter is “censoring” Trump, and that it “exercises a degree of power and control over political discourse in this country that is immeasurable, historically unprecedented, and profoundly dangerous to open democratic debate.” 

Trump’s ban was initially 12 hours over “repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy,” but was later made long-term two days after the violent Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, where hundreds of Trump supporters violently broke into the building in an attempt to invalidate the legitimate results of the 2020 election, an act that resulted in five deaths. 

Trump’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the publication while Twitter declined to comment.