Donald Trump, Josh Hawley, Bill Barr Meet on Social Media Censorship

President Donald Trump met with Attorney General Bill Barr, Sen. Josh Hawley, and other State Attorneys General on Wednesday to discuss social media censorship.

“At the urging of the radical left, these platforms have become intolerant of diverse political views and abusive toward their own users,” Trump said at the event.

The president noted that big tech and social media firms were threatening an “open internet and free society.”

“Every year, countless Americans are banned, blacklisted, and silenced through arbitrary or malicious enforcement of ever-shifting rules,” Trump said.

The president also voiced concerns about how social media companies gather data from consumers and attempts to manipulate the spread of information on their platform.

The meeting was an update to the president’s executive order in May to address the topic of social media censorship.

Barr noted that tech platforms were now a critical part of society, as Americans trust them to communicate, share, and receive information, and purchase goods.

“These platforms can abuse those positions of trust, whether by deciding which voices they’re going to amplify and which they’re going to throttle,” he said.

Josh Hawley warned that tech platforms had acquired a massive amount of power that must be regulated.

“We see in these online platforms the most powerful corporations in the world, maybe the most powerful corporations in the history of the world,” Hawley said.

“So how come I won last time, if they’re so powerful?” Trump asked.

“Because you beat them at their own game. You were so good at communicating,” Hawley replied.

“By the way, it’s gotten a lot tougher,” Trump admitted.

“It’s gotten a lot worse,” Hawley agreed.

Hawley said that reforming Section 230 was a vital part of holding the companies accountable.

Trump said that his administration was watching the companies closely, especially during the 2020 election.

“I think we can say that we’re watching them closely during this election cycle … a lot of people are watching and we’re going to see. This is big time,” he said.