Twitter has recently flagged a tweet from Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, claiming the GOP wants to cut Social Security and Medicare.
The tweet, which was posted early Tuesday morning, accused the Republican Party of wanting to take away Social Security and Medicare from seniors. It was flagged by Twitter for violating its policy against “manipulative media”.
The Biden campaign responded to the flagging, saying that the tweet was “factually accurate” and that it was “deeply concerning” that Twitter had chosen to censor it. They noted that Trump’s campaign had tweeted similar accusations against Biden, which had not been flagged.
The Trump campaign has long been vocal in its support for reducing the size of Social Security and Medicare, most recently proposing a cut of $845 billion from the two programs in its 2020 budget. Despite this, the campaign has repeatedly denied wanting to cut the programs, instead claiming that they need to be reformed in order to remain solvent.
The flagging of Biden’s tweet has sparked a debate about whether Twitter is biased in its enforcement of its policies. Democratic lawmakers and many of Biden’s supporters have argued that the flagging was politically motivated, while the Republican Party has defended Twitter’s decision.
With the election fast approaching, the issue of Social Security and Medicare has become a major point of contention between the two candidates. Biden has promised to protect and expand the two programs, while Trump has largely remained silent on the issue.
Whether or not Twitter’s flagging of Biden’s tweet was politically motivated, it has certainly drawn attention to the importance of the issue of Social Security and Medicare in the 2020 election. As the election nears, voters will be looking to both candidates for more detailed plans to secure and strengthen the two programs.