Facebook And Twitter Lose Over $50 Billion In Market Value Since Banning Trump

January 14, 2021
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Facebook and Twitter, the two largest social media platforms on the internet, saw their value take a massive tumble in the wake of the decision by both sites to indefinitely ban Donald Trump from both platforms.

Since the president’s banning, both platforms have collectively lost roughly $51.2 billion from their market caps, Markets Insider reported on Wednesday. 

The High Cost Of Dumping Trump

Both platforms cited their reason for suspending the accounts of the President as not wanting to “risk additional violence” in the wake of the unrest at the Capitol on January 6th.

RELATED: After Social Media Sites Censor Conservatives, Idaho Internet Provider Turns The Tables

However, there has not been positive reaction from investors.

Facebook dropped four percent on Monday, and another 2.2% on Tuesday. At the close of markets on Tuesday, Facebook’s market cap was $47.6 billion below the level from Friday.

Twitter stock dropped 6.4% at the beginning of last week, and another 2.4% going into the close on Tuesday. Twitter’s market cap plummeted to $3.5 billion.

Not all the Big Tech companies who banned conservatives fared so poorly.

Apple and Google both had a slight climb, after announcing on Friday that they would be removing the Twitter alternative Parler from their respective app stores. 

Shares of Amazon stock rose 1.6% after announcing on Sunday that it had also kicked Parler off its web hosting service. 

Companies Distancing Themselves From Republicans

It’s not just tech companies that are running from conservatives.

Many companies like American Express and Marriott have pulled their donations from Republicans in Congress who challenged electors on January 6th.

Home rental company Airbnb is also “withholding” PAC donations to those same legislators. Others are distancing their products from so-called “right wing” movements. 

RELATED: Poll: Republican Voters Are Siding With Trump Over Mitch McConnell

Trump Allies Speak Out Against The Ban

Prominent Conservatives have spoken out about the ban on Donald Trump. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said, “The Ayatollah can tweet but Trump can’t. Says a lot about the people who run Twitter.”

Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley added, “Silencing people, not to mention the president of the US, is what happens in China not our country.”

Donald Trump Jr. also voiced his anger at the move by the tech giants. “We are living in Orwell’s 1984. Free-speech no longer exists in America. It died with big tech and what’s left is only there for a chosen few. This is absolute insanity!”

Repealing Section 230

President Trump has sought, unsuccessfully, to rally Republicans around repealing Section 230, which is part of the Communications Decency Act, which gives platforms like Facebook and Twitter the ability to moderate content on their platforms.

It also shields them from liability for what their users post.  

Any changes to Section 230 are sure to bring massive opposition from Apple, Google, Facebook, and Twitter. With a new incoming administration, reform could be more likely. 

In the past, Biden has expressed a desire to repeal Section 230.

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