Donald Trump Files Lawsuits Against Facebook, Twitter, Google That Are 'DOA'

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday filed class-action lawsuits in the Southern District of Florida against social media titans Facebook, Twitter and Google and their CEOs for banning him from their platforms and censoring conservative voices.

At a roughly one-hour press conference at his golf course in Bedminister, New Jersey, Trump stood on a blue podium surrounded by white pillars and dozens of American flags. What felt like an ode to his former presidential stage marked his latest strike in his long battle against social media giants. He called for the court to issue an order blocking the companies’ alleged censorship of the American people.

“We’re demanding an end to the shadowbanning, a stop to the silencing, and a stop to the blacklisting, banishing and canceling that you know so well,” Trump said.

Twitter permanently banned Trump in January for his role in provoking the mob that attacked the Capitol. Facebook last month said Trump would remain suspended from its networks for at least two years, with the possibility of being reinstated in 2023 if risk to public safety has subsided.

Trump said at the press conference that he believes these “big tech” companies are “out of control” for banning him while he was still a sitting president.

“Their moves were un-American, unlawful and unconstitutional,” he said.

The lawsuit against Facebook, Twitter and Google will question their alleged role as quasi-government entities. Trump claims they violated his First Amendment rights by acting as arms of the government rather than private entities.

Traditionally, the First Amendment is thought to only limit government actions, not those of private companies.

They also called for the court to strike down Section 230, a decades-old Internet law that protects tech companies from lawsuits over content moderation decisions, according to the Washington Post.

“The government has made social media platforms the de facto censorship arm of the U.S government. This censorship is a violation of our constitution,” Trump said at the news conference.

Paul Barret, the deputy director of the New York University Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, said the lawsuits lacked substance and described it as dead on arrival.

“Trump has the First Amendment argument exactly wrong,” he said in a statement. "In fact, Facebook and Twitter themselves have a First Amendment free speech right to determine what speech their platforms project and amplify — and that right includes excluding speakers who incite violence, as Trump did in connection with the January 6 Capitol insurrection.”

Facebook declined to comment on the suit. Twitter and Google have yet to respond to media requests for comment.

Some have called the lawsuit a publicity stunt, citing how Trump has used it for fundraising.