Gag order? Trump set to sign executive order on social media firms

U.S. President Donald Trump will sign an executive order Thursday aimed at social media companies, according to a White House official.

Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters that Trump is signing the order “pertaining to social media,” but she did not provide details.

Trump criticised Twitter this week for fact-checking for the first time, his tweets about mail-in voting.

Trump then vowed to regulate or ‘close down’ social media platforms before “they silence conservatives”.

Earlier Wednesday, Mr. Trump tweeted, “Twitter has now shown that everything we have been saying about them (and their other compatriots) is correct. Big action to follow!”

It is unclear how an executive order would affect the ability of Twitter to apply labels on false or misleading content.

Social media platforms’ legal right as private companies to delete or otherwise regulate speech, is well established, reports thehill.com.