US radio talk show host and conservative political commentator Rush Limbaugh. JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images
- Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh has deactivated his Twitter account following the permanent suspension of President Trump’s account.
- He’s one of a handful of high-profile Trump supporters who no longer have accounts on the platform following the Capitol Hill insurrection.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Rush Limbaugh has deactivated his Twitter account.
He’s one of a handful of right-wing, high-profile supporters of President Donald Trump who no longer have accounts on the platform following the Capitol Hill insurrection on January 6, which resulted in five deaths.
On Friday, Twitter announced the permanent suspension of President Trump’s account.
“After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence,” the company said in a tweet.
—Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) January 8, 2021
Twitter has also suspended the accounts of Trump’s former national security advisor Michael Flynn, pro-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell, and Ron Watkins.
As Business Insider’s Tyler Sonnemaker previously reported, the three had played a significant part in the spreading of QAnon conspiracy theories about the presidential election and often encouraged violence.
“The accounts have been suspended in line with our policy on Coordinated Harmful Activity,” a Twitter spokesperson told Business Insider. Adding, “We’ve been clear that we will take strong enforcement action on behavior that has the potential to lead to offline harm, and given the renewed potential for violence surrounding this type of behavior in the coming days, we will permanently suspend accounts that are solely dedicated to sharing QAnon content.”
While some have called the Twitter ban a First Amendment issue, the move does not violate that law or any others.
Twitter confirmed that Limbaugh removed the account on his own.
On Thursday, Limbaugh compared the violent insurrection at the Capitol to the American Revolution.
—Angelo Carusone (@GoAngelo) January 7, 2021
“There’s a lot of people calling for the end of violence. There’s a lot of conservatives, social media, who say that any violence or aggression at all is unacceptable, regardless of the circumstances. I’m glad Sam Adams, Thomas Paine, the actual Tea Party guys, the men at Lexington and Concord didn’t feel that way.”