Parler’s webpage. OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images
- Top conservative figures have announced they’re moving to Parler after Twitter removed President Donald Trump’s account and banned him from using the platform.
- QAnon supporter Angela Stanton-King and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie are among those encouraging Twitter users to follow them on Parler, a social media app touted by conservatives as a “free speech” platform.
- It’s unclear whether Trump will move to Parler, but initial reports say he went “ballistic” at Twitter’s ban.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Immediately following Twitter’s permanent suspension of President Donald Trump on Friday night, top conservatives began sharing their Parler accounts on the platform, encouraging their followers to gravitate there.
Trump was banned from Twitter because of his potential to incite further violence following Wednesday’s deadly siege on the US Capitol, the platform said Friday.
The president was infuriated by the move. A senior administration official told Politico that Trump went “ballistic.” Shortly after Twitter removed his @realDonaldTrump account, the president tweeted from the official @POTUS and @TeamTrump handles. But Twitter immediately deleted those posts as well.
One of his now-deleted tweets said the president has begun “negotiating with various other sites” and hinted at a big announcement. Trump also said his team would “look at the possibilities of building our own platform in the near future.”
Some of his conservative allies have already begun flocking to another platform. After news of Trump’s ban, top conservative figures shared their Parler usernames on Twitter.
Among them is Angela Stanton-King, a Republican QAnon supporter who ran in November to represent Georgia’s 5th Congressional District, the seat last held by the deceased Rep. John Lewis.
“Follow me on PARLER access it directly through website don’t try to use the App,” Stanton-King wrote on Twitter, sharing a screenshot of her Parler handle.
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie also shared his Parler handle. “I’m ThomasMassie on Parler if @jack’s social cleansing takes out my account here,” he tweeted.
Parler is a social media app used prominently by Republican and conservative figures, who’ve dubbed it the “free speech” platform.
Others like conservative media host Rush Limbaugh have defiantly deactivated their own Twitter accounts in what appears to be an expression of solidarity.
Conservative radio host Mark Levin also tweeted out a call to action, asking his followers to “join me now on Parler and Rumble.” Levin in a tweet said he also “suspended” his personal Twitter account “in protest against Twitter’s fascism.”
One of the president’s sons, Donald Trump Jr., suggested on Friday night that he might explore other options if Twitter bans him.
“Free Speech Is Under Attack! Censorship is happening like NEVER before! Don’t let them silence us,” he said in a tweet.
“If I get thrown off my social platforms I’ll let you know my thoughts and where I end up,” he added.
Meanwhile, Parler has been removed from the Google Play Store. Apple might soon follow suit.
Parler called the Google ban “a horrible way to handle this.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider asking if Trump will move to Parler.
Gab, another “free speech” platform, suggested on Saturday that it’s expecting an influx of new users. It’s accumulated a lot of alt-right users.