Trump Will Issue Executive Order on Social Media as He Rails Against Twitter Fact Checks

President Donald Trump will issue an executive order about social media companies on Thursday, the White House has said. The administration has offered no details about what the order might contain and there are already doubts that any such order would have legal force.

The move comes as Trump railed against Twitter for adding fact checks to some of his tweets where he made false claims about mail-in ballots. The President has been attacking the process and claiming it leads to rampant voter fraud. However, there is little evidence to support this proposition.

“Republicans feel that social media platforms totally silence conservatives voices. We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen,” Trump tweeted on Wednesday.

“Clean up your act, NOW!!!!””

President Trump’s attacks on social media – and Twitter in particular – are part of a long-running conservative effort to undermine social media, which they claim censor conservative content. However, legal experts have repeatedly argued that the First Amendment does not bind social media. Moreover, claims of bias against the right are dubious at best.

Though the content of the executive order is not yet known, the President does not have the power to regulate companies by fiat and any legislation to do so would have to pass the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives. The order is likely to be an empty gesture.