During the almost entirely peaceful uprising after the murder of George Floyd in the summer of 2020, Trump posted on Facebook, “Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” Trump’s comment was an allusion to an infamous violent threat from the Miami police chief in the 1960s—and a clear violation of Facebook’s policies. Had this message been posted by anyone other than the president of the United States, it would have been removed instantly. If Facebook’s leaders really cared about free speech, they would care about it for everyone, not just the
...more
