Twitter issued a statement on Friday explaining why it isn't banning President Donald Trump after he boasted about his "nuclear button," but did so without ever using the president's name.
"Blocking a world leader from Twitter or removing their controversial tweets would hide important information people should be able to see and debate," Twitter said in a blog post. "It would also not silence that leader, but it would certainly hamper necessary discussion around their words and actions."
Trump's tweet on Jan. 2, responding to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's statement about having a nuclear button on his desk, has caused some to question whether the president may have violated Twitter's terms of service by threatening to use the United States' nuclear weapons on North Korea.
Donald J. Trump✔@realDonaldTrump
North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the “Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.” Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!
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Twitter's statement is the first time the company has addressed the uproar from Trump's tweet, but it still tiptoed around using the president's name, instead addressing the issue as it relates to "world leaders."
"We review tweets by leaders within the political context that defines them, and enforce our rules accordingly," said Twitter's post. "No one person's account drives Twitter’s growth, or influences these decisions. We work hard to remain unbiased with the public interest in mind."
It's not the first time Trump has taunted the North Korean leader on Twitter. Last year, in Trumpian fashion, he bestowed the North Korean dictator with the nickname "little rocket man."