A day after Twitter permanently banned US President Donald Trump from the social media platform due to “the risk of further incitement of violence”, American netizens trended “Hang Mike Pence” on the platform.
It is believed that the phrase and its variations began trending on Twitter because of a viral video from the Capitol riot, which showed pro-Trump protesters chanting the phrase. Some protestors built a makeshift gallows and tied a noose on it, while others used tied a noose from a camera cord after they had destroyed the equipment of the assembled journalists and TV crews. Several pro-Trump protestors believe that Vice President Mike Pence betrayed President Trump, after he certified the Electoral College votes — thus giving Democrat Presidential candidate Joe Biden the victory in the 2020 US elections — despite President Trump asking VP Pence to reject the votes.
WTF why is this allowed to trend?
I get that people have been tweeting it to quote some of the insurrectionists but it shouldn't be allowed to trend. pic.twitter.com/HTlSYnoB5y
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) January 9, 2021
Eventually, Twitter noticed the term trending and blocked it and its variations from trending. “We blocked the phrase and other variations of it from trending,” a spokesperson for Twitter told Fox News. “We want trends to promote healthy discussions on Twitter.”