Former Trump campaign spokesman claims the only reason the president isn't denouncing the Capitol riot more is because Twitter and Facebook banned him
Hogan Gidley said it was "disingenuous" to not take into account the social media bans while criticizing President Trump's silence.
Fox News
- A former spokesman for President Donald Trump has claimed that the president cannot denounce the Capitol rioters because he no longer has a platform to.
- In the wake of the January 6 storming of the US Capitol, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and YouTube barred Trump for inciting violence.
- J. Hogan Gidley told Fox News on Sunday it was "disingenuous" of the media not to take this into account while criticizing the president's silence.
- People responded to Gidley's remarks by saying Trump still has access to the White House press briefing room, and can talk to journalists any time he wants.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
A former spokesman for President Donald Trump's reelection campaign has said that the reason Trump isn't denouncing the Capitol riot is that he no longer has a platform to do so.
Appearing on Fox News on Sunday, J. Hogan Gidley attacked the media for criticizing Trump's silence while failing to take into account that he is barred from Twitter and Facebook.
Snapchat said it will indefinitely bar him from the platform from January 20, and YouTube suspended the president for seven days.
"On one hand, he should be censored by Big Tech and not be allowed to talk - he also shouldn't say anything because it's divisive," Gidley said.
"And then when he doesn't say anything, and can't say anything because the platforms have removed him, they say: 'Where is the president why aren't we hearing from him?'"
"The whole thing's disingenuous."
On January 6, Trump told supporters gathered near the US Capitol to "fight like hell" moments before thousands of them stormed the complex.
Five people died as a result of the violence, and the House of Representatives impeached Trump on January 13 over his incitement of the riot. Trump now faces an impeachment trial in the Senate.
It took Trump 24 hours to publicly and properly condemn the rioters and, aside from a statement and video posted to Twitter on January 13, the president has kept mostly quiet amid Justice Department and FBI investigations into the attack.
According to multiple reports, the president has told to expect civil damages over the Capitol riot, even if he doesn't face criminal charges.
Gidley's claim that Trump has no platform on which to criticize the Capitol rioters was mocked on social media.
The president still has access to the White House press briefing room, and can talk to journalists. And Kayleigh McEnany, Trump's press secretary, still has access to her Twitter account.
"Trump spokesman GOES ON TELEVISION to say Trump has no way of communicating with the public because he doesn't have a Twitter account anymore," one Twitter user wrote.
—That's HEDLEY! (@HedleyLamarr23) January 17, 2021
"I remember when Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address via tweet," another user joked.
—El Castigador (@VMICoastie) January 17, 2021
The irony was not lost on political journalists either.
"Did Trump forget there's a press briefing room or an Oval office from whence he could speak on this at any time?" former Baltimore Sun reporter Victoria Brownworth tweeted.
—Victoria Brownworth #HonorMLKFightRacism (@VABVOX) January 17, 2021
Hugo Lowell, a freelance national politics reporter, tweeted: "Former Trump campaign spokesman Hogan Gidley seriously just said on Fox News that Trump can't denounce the Capitol attack because he doesn't have a 'platform.' Trump can hold a press conference at any time."
—Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) January 17, 2021
NBC and MSNBC legal analyst Katie Phang added: "Trump can borrow my phone and use my Twitter account so he can denounce the Capitol riot forthwith."
Gidley, who also served as White House deputy press secretary from 2019 to 2020, has previously appeared on Fox News to defend the president.
In a January 11 appearance, Gidley was asked whether Trump felt emasculated by the social media crackdown.
He replied by saying: "The most masculine person I think to ever hold the White House is the president of the United States."