Donald Trump boasts his Twitter account was deleted because he's having such 'impact'
It is the first time the President has addressed the deletion, done by a rogue employee on their last day
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump has responded to the rogue employee at Twitter who deleted his account, suggesting it was done because his account was "finally getting out... and having an impact".
The president's Twitter account was taken down for 11 minutes overnight, in a move that initially appeared to be a mystery. Many speculated that the account might be shut down for good – but Twitter has repeatedly said that it won't ban Mr Trump even if he breaks its rules.
The company explained that it had been done by a rogue employee on their last day, and that it was now looking to avoid such things happening again.
Many of his supporters have suggested that the move was done by someone who was opposed to free speech. British right-wing commentator Paul Joseph Watson, for instance, said that liberals had given up on free speech and instead "have orgasms whenever free speech gets censored, either at the whim of a Twitter staffer or a violent Antifa thug".
Mr Trump, however, only suggested that his account had been removed because it was so important. "My Twitter account was taken down for 11 minutes by a rogue employee. I guess the word must finally be getting out-and having an impact," he wrote.
The post was the first time the President had addressed the controversy, about half a day after it had happened. His response recalled his "covfefe" post – in which he misspelt a word and then appeared to delight in the fact that people were confused or attacking him over it.
He then continued to post about the investigation into Russia, and repeated his suggestion that a similar probe should be launched into the Democrats and the FBI. That was articulated in a flurry of tweets, which swiftly covered up his statement on the deleted account.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments