Reddit Bans r/DonaldTrump After Capitol Riot

In the wake of the breach of the U.S. Capitol building following protests concerning the outcome of the 2020 election, a further significant social media platform has taken action against a popular forum supporting Donald Trump. Reddit confirmed earlier today that it has removed the r/donaldtrump subreddit, citing “consistent breaches of policy” within the forum since Wednesday.

A representative from the platform communicated the following to TechCrunch:

Although r/donaldtrump did not achieve the same level of notoriety as certain other pro-Trump subreddits, the site functioned as a central location for the Stop the Steal campaign. The subreddit also served to promote attendance at the rally in Washington, D.C., which subsequently escalated into violent events at the Capitol: A banner displayed on r/donaldtrump featured President Trump in the style of Uncle Sam, with the message “POTUS wants you in D.C. on 1/06/21”.

Reddit has not disclosed specific details regarding the reasons for the subreddit’s removal, but clarified that this action was an isolated incident and no other subreddits were affected today. It is important to note that the subreddit was not officially affiliated with President Trump.

Before the Capitol building was entered, numerous supporters of President Trump had gathered at a rally organized by him near the White House. Following the event at the stage, President Trump encouraged those in attendance to proceed towards Congress to further demonstrate their discontent with the election outcomes.

Reddit has, in the past, been home to sizable pro-Trump communities that were frequently characterized by aggressive conduct and overt threats of violence directed at individuals in the public sphere. Last June, Reddit banned r/The_Donald, its most prominent and controversial community, as part of a broader effort to remove problematic pages. A year earlier, r/The_Donald had been quarantined, making it harder to find and requiring users to actively choose to view its content.

Reddit’s decision to eliminate this forum for Trump supporters aligns with similar actions taken by other major platforms, including Facebook, Twitch, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Shopify.