Former President Donald Trump is expected to announce class action lawsuits against Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, according to a report.
Trump is expected to make the announcement during a press conference on Wednesday, according to Axios. The outlet notes Trump’s legal effort is backed by the America First Policy Institute, a non-profit dedicated to preserving the former president’s policies.
Former Trump officials Linda McMahon and Brooke Rollins, who are a part of the America First Policy Institute, will join him for the announcement.
Axios also points out the class action lawsuits would allow Trump to sue Zuckerberg and Dorsey on behalf of a larger group of people, arguing they have been censored due to biased policies.
Facebook announced in June the platform would be suspending Trump for at least two years, as IJR previously reported.
“Given the gravity of the circumstances that led to Mr. Trump’s suspension, we believe his actions constituted a severe violation of our rules which merit the highest penalty available under the new enforcement protocols,” Facebook’s VP of Global Affairs, Nick Clegg, wrote in a blog post.
He added, “We are suspending his accounts for two years, effective from the date of the initial suspension on January 7 this year.”
Trump said in a statement the decision is “an insult” to those who voted for him.
He continued, “They shouldn’t be allowed to get away with this censoring and silencing, and ultimately, we will win. Our Country can’t take this abuse anymore!”
Twitter said in February Trump would never be allowed back on the platform again, even if he ran for president again and won, as IJR previously reported.
“The way our policies work, when you’re removed from the platform, you’re removed from the platform, whether you’re a commentator, you’re a CFO, or you are a former or current public official,” Twitter CFO Ned Segal said during an interview with CNBC.
He added, “Remember, our policies are designed to make sure that people are not inciting violence, and if anybody does that, we have to remove them from the service and our policies don’t allow people to come back.”
UPDATE [7/7/21, 11:17 a.m. EST]:
Trump announced the lawsuit against Zuckerberg, Dorsey, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai at a press conference held at 11 a.m. EST.
