Steve Bannon, a former advisor to the President and conservative commentator, experienced a suspension of his program on Twitter and the removal of an episode from YouTube following statements advocating for forceful action against FBI Director Christopher Wray and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's foremost authority on the pandemic.

During a discussion with co-host Jack Maxey, Bannon contemplated potential actions for a second presidential term for Trump. He initially proposed the dismissal of both Wray and Fauci, but his remarks then escalated, stating, “I would genuinely like to revisit the practices of Tudor England; I would display heads on pikes, positioned at either side of the White House as a deterrent to federal employees.”

Initially, these comments might be perceived as exaggerated rhetoric—similar to saying someone “wants their head on a platter” without intending actual decapitation. However, the ensuing conversation suggested a more serious intent than initially apparent:

Regardless of whether this is interpreted as simply reminiscing about a bygone era of vigilante justice or a genuine call for its reinstatement, the exchange prompted decisive action from moderators on both YouTube and Twitter against the program’s broadcast.

Twitter affirmed that the account had been “permanently suspended” – meaning restoration is not automatic, though an appeal is possible – for breaching the platform’s rule against promoting violence.

YouTube removed the episode from the “Steve Bannon’s War Room” channel on Wednesday afternoon after the content was flagged. A spokesperson for the platform explained, “This video was removed because it violated our policy prohibiting incitement to violence. We will remain attentive and enforce our policies during the post-election period.”

Social media companies have faced challenges in determining the appropriate level of content moderation. Platforms including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram have implemented various measures, ranging from temporarily disabling features to quietly prohibiting hashtags. Facebook recently removed a group exceeding 300,000 members that was actively disseminating misinformation regarding the election.

While these platforms have been proactive in labeling and limiting the reach of misinformation, addressing such content on video platforms presents greater difficulties. Shortly before this incident, Trump utilized YouTube to present a range of unsubstantiated claims concerning mail-in voting, but the platform is unable to conduct real-time fact-checking or immediately terminate the President’s channel. Video content generally spreads more rapidly than text-based content, making it harder to review and flag in a timely manner.