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Thursday 5 November 2020

Twitter has labeled four of Donald Trump's tweets 'misleading' since polls closed, including claim that 'surprise ballot dumps' are to blame for him losing overnight lead in key states

 Four of Donald Trump's tweets have been labeled 'misleading' by Twitter since polls closed early Wednesday, with the incumbent decrying the vote count and blaming 'surprise ballot dumps' on the evaporation of his overnight lead. 

Trump took to social media just after 10am ET this morning, proclaiming: 'Last night I was leading, often solidly, in many key States, in almost all instances Democrat run & controlled.

'Then, one by one, they started to magically disappear as surprise ballot dumps were counted. VERY STRANGE, and the 'pollsters' got it completely & historically wrong!'


Twitter wasted no time flagging Trump's tweet with the message: 'Some or all of the content shared in this Tweet is disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process.' 

Facebook also flagged the same post, but its message was more vague: 'Final results may be different than initial vote counts, as ballot counting will continue for days or weeks.' 

Twitter wasted no time flagging Trump's tweet with the message: 'Some or all of the content shared in this Tweet is disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process'

Twitter wasted no time flagging Trump's tweet with the message: 'Some or all of the content shared in this Tweet is disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process'

Facebook posted a warning on one of Trump's posts with the same message

Facebook posted a warning on one of Trump's posts with the same message

Trump also cast doubt on the process of counting remaining ballots during an early morning speech from the White House, in which he also prematurely declared victory.

The speech drew widespread rebuke from news pundits, politicians and even some of his supports, such as ABC News Analyst Chris Christie, who called Trump's untimely victory lap a 'bad' decision.

At the time he was making the controversial speech, Trump was holding a slim lead in Wisconsin and Michigan, two key swing states that were once part of the so-called 'Great Blue Wall', having once been a Democratic safe haven.

But in the hours since, as more mail in ballots have been tallied, Biden now has won Wisconsin and holds a narrow one-point lead in Michigan.

In response, the president tweeted again after 10am on Wednesday, asking his followers: 'How come every time they count Mail-In ballot dumps they are so devastating in their percentage and power of destruction?'

He followed the post up with a second tweet, written in capital letters, that read: 'WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT'.


The second thread of tweets was also flagged by Twitter, bearing the same message that the post may contain misleading information about an election.

As was an addition tweet, posted Wednesday afternoon, in which Trump renewed his criticism of the vote count.

'They are working hard to make up 500,000 vote advantage in Pennsylvania disappear — ASAP. Likewise, Michigan and others!,' he blasted in the since censored tweet.

Facebook has taken similar steps to label misleading or unfounded claims made by Trump in his posts to the platform. 

Though, rather than eclipsing the post entirely with it's disclaimer as Twitter has often done, instead Facebook has a attached a small message beneath all of his posts, reiterating the 'strict' rules all election officials abide by, and reminding users that results will take longer to determine this year because of mail-in voting. 

In one such post, in which Trump sarcastically quipped that it 'looks like Michigan has found the ballots necessary to keep' John James out of the Senate, Facebook assured in a message beneath: 'Election officials follow strict rules when it comes to ballot counting, handling and reporting.'

The president tweeted again after 10am on Wednesday, asking his followers: 'How come every time they count Mail-In ballot dumps they are so devastating in their percentage and power of destruction?'

The president tweeted again after 10am on Wednesday, asking his followers: 'How come every time they count Mail-In ballot dumps they are so devastating in their percentage and power of destruction?'

The second thread of tweets was also flagged by Twitter, bearing the same message that the post may contain misleading information about an election

The second thread of tweets was also flagged by Twitter, bearing the same message that the post may contain misleading information about an election

Facebook has taken similar steps to label misleading or unfounded claims made by Trump in his posts to the platform. Though, rather than eclipsing the post entirely with it's disclaimer as Twitter has often done, instead Facebook has a attached a small message beneath all of his posts, reiterating the 'strict' rules all election officials abide by

Facebook has taken similar steps to label misleading or unfounded claims made by Trump in his posts to the platform. Though, rather than eclipsing the post entirely with it's disclaimer as Twitter has often done, instead Facebook has a attached a small message beneath all of his posts, reiterating the 'strict' rules all election officials abide by

Trump also cast doubt on the process of counting remaining ballots during an early morning speech from the White House, in which he also prematurely declared victory

Trump also cast doubt on the process of counting remaining ballots during an early morning speech from the White House, in which he also prematurely declared victory

The first of Trump's four censored posts came almost immediately after the final polls closed in Alaska, just after 1am ET.  

In the post, Trump made unfounded claims that Democrats were attempting to 'steal' the election. 

'We are up BIG, but they are trying to STEAL the Election. We will never let them do it.' 

He also suggested that states are accepting late ballots, adding: 'Votes cannot be cast after the Polls are closed!'

The tweet was flagged 'misleading' within minutes. It was also slapped with a disclaimer on Facebook.

The posts appeared to be in direct response to a dramatic statement Joe Biden made minutes earlier, asking Americans to be patient and claiming he would eventually be the victor of the presidential election despite failing to land knockout blows in Florida, Ohio and Texas. 

'It ain't over till every vote is counted,' Biden said on the stage which had been erected for his victory speech in Wilmington, Delaware. 

The Democratic challenger spoke as it became clear that it could be days before the election results are tabulated in full.   

Biden's failure to flip a series of the biggest prizes means that the election is now almost entirely about the 'blue wall' Midwestern states which Hillary Clinton lost in 2016: Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.

The Democrats were handed Arizona by Fox News in a call which the White House was disputing. If it holds, it gives him a precarious path to victory through two of the three states.

Both he and Trump are now effectively in a stalemate which can only be ended by the lengthy process of counting mail-in ballots.

'We feel good about where we are, we really do. I'm here to tell you tonight, we believe we're on track to win this election,' Biden, alongside wife Jill, told supporters gathered outside the Chase Center.

Trump took to social media just before 1am on Wednesday, proclaiming: 'We are up BIG, but they are trying to STEAL the Election. We will never let them do it.' Twitter wasted no time flagging the tweet as potentially misleading

Trump took to social media just before 1am on Wednesday, proclaiming: 'We are up BIG, but they are trying to STEAL the Election. We will never let them do it.' Twitter wasted no time flagging the tweet as potentially misleading

Trump says election is a 'fraud on the American people'
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Trump's posts appeared to be in response to a statement Joe Biden made minutes earlier

Biden made a speech just after midnight asking Americans to be patient and claiming he would eventually win despite failing to land knockout blows in Florida, Ohio and Texas

Biden made a speech just after midnight asking Americans to be patient and claiming he would eventually win despite failing to land knockout blows in Florida, Ohio and Texas 

He pointed to the gain of Arizona, and Minnesota, which NBC News said was leaning Biden minutes before he came onstage.

'And we're still in the game in Georgia, although that's not one we expected,' Biden said.

'We feel real good about Wisconsin and Michigan,' he continued. 'And, by the way, we're going to win Pennsylvania,' he said, getting copious honks from his drive-in crowd.

Biden said he was 'encouraged,' especially, by turnout in Philadelphia, which is adjacent to Wilmington.

'Look, we could know the results as early as tomorrow morning. It may take longer as I've said all along,' he said. 'It's not my place or Donald Trump's place to call who wins this election, that's the decision of the American people.'

'I am optimistic about this outcome,' he said.


Right before he exited he told the crowd that he and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, would be talking tomorrow.

As Biden was pulling in, the jumbotrons, which were playing MSNBC, announced that President Donald Trump had officially won Florida - the first sign Tuesday that the US was in for a long night.

Big swaths of potentially Democratic votes were outstanding in places like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Detroit and Atlanta when Biden appeared.

Twitter, Facebook and Google-owned YouTube ramped up efforts to prevent the spread of misinformation well ahead of when the polls opened, as experts predicted a very tight race that could take days to reach a conclusion.  

Making good on its promise to head-off misleading posts, Twitter flagged a tweet from the Trump campaign earlier on Tuesday night which declared a victory in South Carolina. 

That tweet came as multiple news outlets - including the Associated Press, CNN and the New York Times - also called the state for Trump.  

'Official sources may not have called the race when this was Tweeted,' the Twitter label read. 

According to Twitter's election rules, tweets declaring victory must be backed by calls from at least two of seven news organizations: ABC News, Associated Press,  CBS News, CNN, Decision Desk HQ, Fox News, National Election Pool, NBC News and Reuters. 

The AP was the only one of those seven that had called South Carolina at the time that the tweet went up. CNN followed soon after.  

But Twitter didn't flag another tweet from the Trump campaign which declared victory in Florida, even though that race hadn't been officially called by two of the seven yet. 

Twitter explained that the Florida tweet was not in violation of its rules because it tagged one of the approved race callers, Decision Desk HQ. 

Twitter flagged a tweet from the Trump campaign earlier on Tuesday night which declared a victory in South Carolina

Twitter flagged a tweet from the Trump campaign earlier on Tuesday night which declared a victory in South Carolina

Twitter didn't flag another tweet from the Trump campaign which declared victory in Florida, even though that race hadn't been officially called yet

Twitter didn't flag another tweet from the Trump campaign which declared victory in Florida, even though that race hadn't been officially called yet 

The Trump campaign repeated the president's claim that Democrats are trying to steal the election in a fundraising email early Wednesday morning.

'President Trump needs your help,' the email began. 

'You've been there for him every step of the way these last few years. Anytime the Radical Left came after him, YOU have been there to defend him. 

'We're emailing you now to ask for you to step up ONE LAST TIME and DEFEND YOUR PRESIDENT! 

'It's no secret the Democrats will try to STEAL this Election. They can't stand the thought of America REJECTING their candidate, so they’ll do whatever it takes to manipulate the results.'

It goes on to ask supporters for donations to help with a potential legal challenge over the results.  

The Trump campaign repeated the president's claim that Democrats are trying to steal the election in a fundraising email early Wednesday morning

The Trump campaign repeated the president's claim that Democrats are trying to steal the election in a fundraising email early Wednesday morning

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