Angela Merkel Calls Trump Twitter Ban Problematic as Freedom of Opinion Is Fundamental Right

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she believes Twitter and other social media companies' decision to ban President Donald Trump from their platforms is "problematic," a spokesman told reporters in Berlin on Monday.

Twitter permanently banned Trump from its platform last Friday, citing the "risk of further incitement of violence" and noting that the president had repeatedly violated its policy standards. Facebook and Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, similarly suspended the president's accounts through at least January 20. The tech giant's founder, Mark Zuckerberg, said "the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great."

Although Democratic lawmakers and activists cheered the decision, and some Republicans voiced support as well, many of the president's supporters slammed the social media companies' actions as a violation of free speech. Merkel spokesman Steffen Seibert suggested on Monday that she is concerned about the implications of Twitter's and Facebook's decisions.