People are calling on Twitter to shut down Donald Trump's account

The phrase “Tweetstorm” has never been uttered so much since Donald Trump signed up to Twitter.

That’s no surprise, since in the last month alone the US President-elect has tweeted that people should be imprisoned for burning the American flag, and falsely claimed that millions of votes in the US election were illegal.

He has also insulted 289 people, places and things since last June, according to a terrifyingly comprehensive list by the New York Times, which describes Trump's Twitter account as a “bully pulpit, propaganda weapon and attention magnet all rolled into one".

Trump tweeted earlier this week that he’d have less reason to tweet if the press would just stop doing their job properly:

Now, there is growing consensus that Trump should be kicked off Twitter.

One journalist warned:

Twitter must immediately delete Donald Trump’s account before he starts a war.

A poll from Quinnipiac University last month found that 59 per cent of respondents said Trump should shut down his personal Twitter account.

And an online petition calling for Twitter to suspend Trump’s account has reached more than 46,000 signatures. It states:

Donald Trump has crossed a line by attacking people on Twitter based on their race, religion, gender and more.

By locking or suspending Donald Trump's account, Twitter can send a powerful message that hate is not accepted or condoned on their platform.

But it doesn't sound like Twitter is going to shut his account any time soon.

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said his feelings on the matter are “complicated”, and that the fact the President-elect is using Twitter is “fascinating”.

If it's any consolation, earlier this month Twitter said Trump’s account will be shut down if he breaks its rules, which include tweeting violent threats, harassment, hate and abuse to multiple accounts.

So it's looking likely, then.

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