Livestreaming platform Twitch has announced it has disabled the channel for President Donald Trump on Thursday.
In a statement to IGN from a Twitch spokesperson, “In light of yesterday’s shocking attack on the Capitol, we have disabled President Trump’s Twitch channel.”
The company added, “Given the current extraordinary circumstances and the President’s incendiary rhetoric, we believe this is a necessary step to protect our community and prevent Twitch from being used to incite further violence.”
Yesterday, both chambers of U.S. Congress met to certify the results of the 2020 U.S. Presidential elections which determined Joe Biden as the winner. Donald Trump, who for weeks espoused conspiracy theories that the election has been stolen, addressed a nearby crowd who then marched to the Capitol and briefly clashed with police and occupied the Capitol buildings.
US legislators from both parties were forced to either flee or barricade themselves for safety.
Following these events, digital companies have taken measures to limit Trump’s presence to prevent further violence. Facebook has announced it will indefinitely ban Trump from Facebook and Instagram, and Twitter has initiated a temporary ban.
Trump’s official Twitch channel was once suspended previously in 2020 after it rebroadcasted several rallies which Twitch says violated its Hateful Conduct guidelines.
Twitch has also recently removed the popular ‘PogChamp’ emote based on fighting game player Ryan ‘Gootecks’ Gutierrez following comments he made in the aftermath of the Capitol Hill insurgency which Twitch says called for further violence.
It’s unclear how long Trump’s Twitch account will remain disabled, but Twitch says it is focused on minimizing harm during the transition period, which is the next two weeks until Joe Biden is inaugurated as President.
Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.
(Photo by Isaac Brekken/Getty Images)
