In the latest shake-up to twitter’s format, the website have taken to removing the ticks from people for various reasons. Hatemongers have been particularly under fire, including Tommy Robinson of the EDL, and now Donald Trump.
A spokeswoman for twitter, Maddie Raytor, issued the following statement: “We can’t allow celebrities to abuse their status to spread messages of hate, no matter how powerful they are. We are clamping down on this bigtime.”
Blue ticks are expected to disappear from several other prominent twitter accounts, with the likes of Paul Golding, Jayda Fransen and Nigel Farage all looking set to lose theirs.
Mr Trump was quick to denounce the report.
“It’s fake news!” he said. “I still have my blue tick on twitter, and here’s a picture to prove it!”
At which point he held up a printout of his twitter profile – with a blue tick that looked like it had been added on in crayon. Certainly it was clear it didn’t belong to the original page that had been printed out. And the fact that it was the tick itself that was blue, rather than a blue spot with a white tick inside it, was even more a giveaway.
Underneath the tick were more words in blue crayon, saying, “the bestest twitterer in the hole wurld – sined twitter”.
It was all the assembled press could do to keep a straight face. Unquestionably, “the Donald” was really ticked off.
Of course, it would be better for everyone if he lost his twitter privileges permanently, but it’s a start.
