The left-leaning CEO of Twitter is defending his company’s willingness to provide President Trump with a platform.
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Asked by Sunday TODAY anchor Willie Geist how he responds to calls for his social network to ban Trump, Jack Dorsey argued that Trump’s use of Twitter encourages transparency.
“I believe it’s really important to hear directly from our leadership,” Dorsey said. “And I believe it’s really important to hold them accountable. And I believe it’s really important to have these conversations out in the open, rather than have them behind closed doors.”
“If we were all to suddenly take these platforms away,” he continued, “Where does it go? What happens it goes in the dark?”
“I just don’t think that’s good for anyone,” the CEO concluded.
Though Dorsey tends to stop short of offering full-throated endorsements, his sympathy for liberal causes is clear from his own use of the social network. As the CEO of Square, he also donated around $3,000 total to several Democrat politicians, according to FEC records.
Given Trump’s penchant for turning to Twitter when seeking to offer rapid, and often impulsive, responses to breaking news development, Dorsey’s argument that revoking the president’s access to the platform lessens transparency is notable.
To the public, it seems clear that Trump’s tweets offer a window into his thought process, especially during important political moments. The calculation is whether our access to that knowledge, even if the posts contain questionable information, offsets any consequential political instability.
From his perch atop the powerful social network, Dorsey is taking Trump’s side in that debate, even amid the harsh chorus of disagreement from his peers on the Left.
At least for now, that is.
Emily Jashinsky is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
