Donald Trump has been permanently banned from Twitter after the social media giant said the US president risked a “further incitement of violence”.
The extraordinary move came just two days after pro-Trump rioters stormed the US Capitol following a rally nearby in which Mr Trump continued to spout baseless conspiracy theories about November’s presidential election being stolen from him.
The insurrection at the Capitol left at least five people dead, including a police officer, and is looking increasingly likely to culminate in a second impeachment of Mr Trump.
Republicans, including Mr Trump’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr, raged at Twitter’s decision to ban the commander-in-chief from its platform.
“Free-speech no longer exists in America. It died with big tech and what’s left is only there for a chosen few," Mr Trump Jr said.
It comes amid reports a furious Mike Pence has not spoken to Mr Trump since Wednesday’s violence in Washington DC.
